Tenchi Muyo Fan Fiction ❯ Sanyasi ❯ Unfinished Business ( Chapter 6 )

[ 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.)

Unfinished Business

Chapter 1: Old Wounds

Messiah looked up from his desk when the shadow of Opal crossed
the floor before him. His monocular henchwoman wore her typical
humorless scowl as she stared back at him, the iciness of her one eye
colder than the two-eyed stare of most other people he had known.
[Would it kill her to smirk once in a while?] he thought to himself. "What
is it?" Messiah asked tersely.
"It's been twenty four hours since you dispatched your
extermination squad to hunt down Merchant," she replied. "None of them
have reported since."
Messiah hung his head. He was afraid that something like this
would happen. He had sent six operatives after Merchant; Grifter, Hazard,
Haywire, Lassiter, Silencer, and Namesake. In the past, all of those men
had been underlings of Merchant. They had been told that their target was
a low-level drug trafficker who had made off with a few million jurai of
product. In reality, they were being sent after their former boss. Messiah
had hoped that the operatives would kill Merchant and either not recognize
him or not care. Apparently, that was not the case. The most likely
scenarios were either that Merchant had killed all the operatives and was
still alive, or that the operatives realized what they had been sent to do and
skipped out on the organization. Either was an unfavorable situation.
"Any indication that Merchant is still alive?"
"I think we have to assume that he is," Opal said. "If he was
killed, someone would have contacted us, even if he was displeased with
the outcome."
Messiah nodded. "Well, that can only mean one thing. I'm sure
that he realizes what I tried to accomplish. He's got an even bigger bone
to pick with me now."
"You think he's coming here?" Opal asked.
"He's got nowhere else to go," Messiah said. "He's got no one left
now. All that he once was has been erased by his own hands. Everything
except me, that is."
"Why would he risk it?" asked Opal. "He knows it's suicide to
come here alone."
"Maybe that's the whole point," Messiah suggested. He took his
eyes off Opal and pulled the throwing knife from up his sleeve. The
snake, fixed in a permanent strike, bared its fangs angrily at him. He
stared at the reptilian eyes. "He has no place in the universe. He is a
sheep without a shepherd."
"Maybe he wants to be the shepherd," Opal suggested. "After all,
if all had gone according to Mako's plan, Merchant would be sitting in that
chair, holding both of those knives."
"He is no longer capable of leading," Messiah replied. "I suppose I
have you to thank for that. You broke his heart and his spirit. It's because
of you that he now views this organization as an enemy, as opposed to a
brotherhood."
Opal chuckled dryly. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I just never
thought I'd ever hear you say the word 'brotherhood' like that. I mean,
considering the source."
Messiah glared at her. "That is none of your concern," he said
curtly.
Suddenly, an enforcer rushed into the room and hurriedly
straightened up. "Sorry, sir," he said hurriedly, "but we're receiving a
communication from Haywire."
"Patch it through to my phone!" Messiah said quickly. The
enforcer nodded and rushed from the room. Moments later, a button on
the switchboard of the office phone illuminated. Messiah put the line on
conference. He did not even wait for a confirmation before saying, "Why
didn't you contact us at the specified time?"
"The situation was too involved at the time," Haywire said. "I'm
bringing Merchant in."
"So you recognized him after all," Messiah said, a barely
perceptible sigh of relief escaping from him. "I'm glad your priorities are
in order. He's dead?"
"Negative," Haywire replied. "I'm bringing him in alive."
"Your orders were to terminate the target," Messiah said.
"My orders were to terminate a low-level thief," Haywire
countered. "This is quite different."
"Why are you keeping him alive?" Messiah almost snapped. "You
know goddamned well how dangerous he is!"
"If he doesn't trust you, then yes, he is dangerous," Haywire
replied. "But he has a very hard time letting his past go. He thinks that
I'm going to help him get to you. But, as soon as I bring him here, he's all
yours."
"What about the GP officers?" Messiah asked.
"Detective Mihoshi has been entrusted with the transport of one of
Merchant's associates, a young boy who is of no concern to us," Haywire
reported. "As for Detective Kiyone, she and I have come to... an
understanding." Messiah smiled at the euphemism, which meant that a
bribe had been accepted. Haywire continued, "I felt it only fitting that
Merchant should see you again before he died. I know all the trouble he
caused you; all of us, in fact. This should clear up any confusion about
where my loyalties lie."
"This is unexpected," Messiah said in a serious tone. "But not
unappreciated. Continue with your plan. But be warned; Merchant has
not lost his edge. If he starts to suspect anything, eliminate him."
"Understood. Haywire out," he said as a click resonated from the
phone.
Messiah folded his hands under his chin. "An unwelcome turn of
events," he said.
"What makes you say that?" asked Opal.
"The fact that Haywire did not report back does not bother me," he
said. "The fact that the other five did not report back does. I gave specific
instructions to report back after twenty four hours, even if they turned up
nothing. They're all working together, Opal. Haywire is looking to
double-cross us, as are the rest of them. I must admit, I did not anticipate
this. We shall have to prepare."
"You mean, they're coming here?" Opal asked, a slight quaver in
her voice. The six operatives were all highly skilled. Throw in Merchant,
and the group would form one of the most effective extermination squads
seen within the organization. The thought of going up against them was
unnerving, to say the least.
"I can almost guarantee it," Messiah said. "You look tense. Don't
be worried, my dear. Think of it as an opportunity for revenge. 'An eye
for an eye,' if you'll pardon the expression."
"Believe me, it'll be more than just an eye," Opal growled. She
turned around and brisked out of the office. Messiah remained in his seat,
staring at the knife. He looked at his reflection in the highly polished,
razor-sharp blade. "Why won't you die, Mitch?" he asked. "Why won't
you die?!"

Though they had officially parted company, and they were many
miles away from each other, Sanyasi and Iggy both found themselves
thinking about the same thing. As they waited to approach their
designated destinations, the conversation in the infirmary ran through their
heads, each word repeating itself like the crack of a pistol. Both of them
stared blankly. Both of them were numb.
"Iggy, you mean a lot to me," Sanyasi said frankly. "You've really
been the only person I could call a friend for two years. You're a good
kid."
"Hell, you don't need to tell me that," Iggy said with a wide smile.
"Well, there is something I do need to tell you," Sanyasi said,
sitting down. Iggy noticed that his face seemed worn, more lined than
usual. He slouched in his seat, something he had never seen him do
before. "I've been keeping something from you; something that you
should have known a long time ago. This is the last chance I have to come
clean, so I'm just going to say it." He breathed deeply. "Iggy, I'm the one
who killed your father."
Iggy stared back for a few moments, his expression unchanged.
Finally, a frown crossed his face. "Don't joke about that shit, Mitch. It's
not funny."
"No, it's not funny," Sanyasi agreed. "But it is true. I was given
the assignment and I took it. I planted the car bomb in your father's limo."
"Bullshit!" Iggy thundered. "What the fuck are you trying to do?
Are you trying to pacify me by giving me some lame-o excuse? Mitch, if
you're not going to get the guy who killed my father, just fuckin' say so
already!"
"It was four twenty in the afternoon," Sanyasi said, painting the
scene that Iggy knew all too well. "Gabriel Gilbride had just finished
delivering his speech, the usual stuff he said about expanding the
company's standard of excellence, and a solemn pledge to uphold not only
a worthy product, but public service as well. He answered four questions
from reporters on the way back to the car. I saw the sun glare off his
cufflinks as he crouched to enter the car. They were the gold ones,
remember? The heirlooms from his father, your grandfather. I researched
him, Iggy. Your grandfather wore those cufflinks. Somewhere along the
line he passed them to your father. I waited for the limo to pull away from
the crowd. That's when I hit the detonator. I'm not sure exactly what
happened later; I got out of there as soon as I could. That's what
happened, right?"
Iggy could not speak. The part about the speech, and even the part
about the explosion could have been recanted easily enough by anyone
who had seen the news footage. But the cufflinks were a different matter.
For Sanyasi to know a detail like that means that he must have had some
insider information, and he wouldn't have gone through the trouble of
gathering it if not for some specific purpose. Still, the thought that he was
the person who he was after was appalling. It wasn't possible that he was
helping his father's murderer for two years without knowing. "I see now.
Why you never told me."
"Iggy, I knew from the start that it was wrong of me not to tell
you," Sanyasi said.
"I don't know what to say, Mitch," Iggy said in an emotionless
tone of voice. "I mean, here I was, helping you help me for two years, and
now I find out that you're the one I was after all along." He slammed his
fists on the table. "You bastard! You lying son of a bitch! You lied to me
to get my help! I had no business being involved in any of this, and you
dragged me into it! I took a bullet for you, Mitch. If I had known who you
were I would have shot you myself two years ago!"
"That's why I didn't tell you, Iggy," Sanyasi said.
"Yeah, to save your own ass!" Iggy shouted.
"No, to stop you from turning out like me!" Sanyasi shot back.
"Iggy, look at me. What have I been doing for the past two years? I've
been after Messiah, and I've killed everyone who's gotten in my way. I
didn't want that for you."
"Then why not just turn yourself in to the police?" Iggy asked. "If
it ate you up at all, then you would have turned yourself in."
"That wasn't an option," Sanyasi said.
"Oh, and using me was?" Iggy countered.
"I never used you, Iggy," Sanyasi said. "I gave you the option to
say no. But how many times have you said that you believed in what I was
doing? You followed me because you felt that what I was doing was
right."
"I never would have gone with you in the first place," Iggy said, "if
you hadn't told me that you would get the person who killed my father."
"I needed someone's help," Sanyasi said. "I couldn't trust anyone.
You were all I had. I didn't pick you just because I could spur you on; I
picked you because I knew that you could handle yourself no matter what
the situation."
"So, now you show your true colors," Iggy said contemptuously.
"When are you going to stop using people and accept responsibility?"
"I accept full responsibility for everything that I have done,"
Sanyasi assured him. "I guess that, in a way, taking you with me and
taking care of you all this time was my way of wanting to make up for the
death of your father."
"What, you wanted to adopt me, is that it?" Iggy spat. "You
wanted to take the place of my father? Why not save yourself the trouble?
Why kill him in the first place?!"
"I was acting on orders," Sanyasi said. "It wasn't my decision to
kill him. The order came from my superior. Your father was developing
code-breaking software; programs that would allow police to track
laundered money. Money laundering is a crucial component of the
Zaibatsu's cash flow. Take it away, the Zaibatsu goes broke. At the time,
there was no choice."
"There's always a choice," Iggy said.
"In that case," Sanyasi said, "you make sure you pick the right one.
I know that you must not think too highly of me right now. You probably
even hate me, and I do deserve that. But don't think that killing me is
going to change anything. All it would do is turn you into a killer. And
then, you'd be no better than me. I know my limitations, and I know that
we do not share those limitations. I know you have it in you to move on
with your life, and make something of yourself."
"I still can't forgive you," Iggy said. "You still have to be
punished for what you did."
"I've been being punished every minute of every day for the last
two years," Sanyasi said solemnly. "I don't expect you to understand, and
I hope to God that you never do. Just know that the path I'm on leads to a
dead end, and you would do well to avoid it."
Iggy was trying hard to hold back tears. All the vindictive feelings
that he felt; all the anger and confusion and uncertainty surfaced anew, all
directed at Sanyasi. And yet, when he looked at him, he couldn't help but
see a good friend. That made the situation even more difficult. Sanyasi
had betrayed Iggy before they had even met. It may not have been
personal, but it wasn't right, either. "When is it going to end? Are you
ever going to stop manipulating everybody?"
"I promise that I will, once all this is over," Sanyasi said. "And I
will receive just sentence for everything that I have done. I know you've
already judged me in your own mind, but I think that I'm best qualified to
judge myself. And I am a most unforgiving judge."
"Why couldn't you just walk away?" Iggy asked, tears cracking his
voice. "Why couldn't you leave it all alone?"
Sanyasi looked wistfully up at the ceiling. "This runs deeper than
you can possibly know. Plus, I guess I have this annoying habit of
finishing everything that I start." He let Iggy cry for a few moments before
continuing. "I want you to know that it's over for you. I'll have Mihoshi
take you home to your family, and you can all have some closure about
your father. At this point, it's the least I can do." He got up and walked
away. Before going out the door, he turned and said, "For what it's worth,
I still consider you a friend, Iggy. That's more than I can say for anyone
else these past two years." Sanyasi shut the door behind him, leaving Iggy
behind.

"Iggy? Iggy?" Mihoshi tried to get his attention as he stared out
the window.
Iggy finally acknowledged her. "Hmm?"
"What'cha thinking about?"
"Oh. Um, nothing," Iggy said. "I guess I'm just excited to see my
mom and my brother again."
"Can I ask you something?" Mihoshi asked.
"Sure. What?"
"Well, I just wanted to know what the password was," Mihoshi
said. "The one that you put in the ship's computer."
"Oh, you don't have to worry about that," Iggy said. "I disabled it
and erased it from the system."
"I know," Mihoshi said. "I just really want to know what it was."
"Well, it was... um, well..." Iggy stammered, "the, um... it... the...
well, I don't know, um..."
"Pleeeease!" Mihoshi begged.
Iggy's cheeks reddened. "The password was... 'Mihoshi.'"
"Really?" she sang. "That's so neat!"
"I... just wanted to make sure it was something that I would
remember," Iggy said, scratching the back of his head.
"I wish you didn't erase it," Mihoshi said. "I'd love to have that as
a password."
"I'm sure I'll use it for something else," Iggy said, his face still
flushed.
"You're such a sweetie," Mihoshi cooed.
"Um, er, thanks," Iggy struggled to say, cursing the fact that he
wasn't just a few years older.

Chapter 2: The Gathering Clouds

"When will we be making planetfall?" Kiyone asked, taking a seat
across from Sanyasi in the control room.
"About half a hour," he said flatly, never moving his eyes up from
whatever it was on the console he was staring blankly at.
Kiyone sighed deeply. "I still can't believe I'm doing this," she
admitted. "I mean, why am I helping you? I hate your guts, Mitch!"
"I know why you're helping me," Sanyasi said. He lit a cigarette.
"You're not thinking about me at all; you're thinking about your career. If
you take down key members of the Zaibatsu all by yourself, you'll be
looking down at everyone from a captain's desk in no time. Plus, you can
leave your anchor of a partner in the dust. Just who did you piss off to get
partnered with her, anyway?"
"I have no idea," Kiyone said, putting her hand to her forehead.
"But, you're right about one thing: I don't care what happens to you."
"Just so long as I don't get away," Sanyasi responded.
Kiyone snorted. "If I never see you again for the rest of my life,
it'll be too soon. You're just walking trouble."
"You get no argument from me," Sanyasi said wryly.
"There is one thing I want to know," Kiyone said seriously. "Why
did you insist on looking after Mihoshi and myself. I mean, I know you
didn't want us telling the Galaxy Police about you, but you could have
taken care of that easily enough. I would have thought that you'd just gut
our ship's electronics and set us adrift. Why did you keep us alive?"
"Would you rather I'd killed you?" Sanyasi asked coyly.
"Actually, the reason that I kept you around was that I need something
from you."
"From me?" Kiyone asked. "But I'm already helping you, for
Christ's sake; what more could you need?!"
"You will know when the time is right," Sanyasi said. "When I
saw you in the bar, when you drew that gun and started barking orders, I
knew you were the only one who could do this for me. It's something that
I have been needing and wanting for a long time."
Kiyone squinted at him. "Don't get any ideas, buddy!"
"No, it's nothing like that," Sanyasi insisted, shaking his head.
"Don't worry about it right now; we've got bigger things to worry about."
"I still don't know why you insist on going through with this,"
Kiyone said. "It's not too late to go to the police. We're not all corrupt,
you know. There's enough good cops out there that would help you."
"That's really none of your concern," Sanyasi said. "You'll just
have to respect my decision."
"I can't respect it," Kiyone replied, "because you're putting the
lives of others in danger. You see, that's one of your problems, Mitch;
you have no value for human life."
"That's absurd!" Sanyasi said sharply. "Even I know that life is a
precious gift."
"Then what's death?" Kiyone asked.
Sanyasi took a puff of his cigarette. "Death is... the only friend I
have left."
"Well, with friends like that, who needs enemies?" Kiyone
commented.
"My sentiments exactly," Sanyasi said as he stood up to stretch.
"Unfortunately, I have them. And I have to deal with them."
"Not alone, you don't," a voice said. Kiyone and Sanyasi turned
around to see Haywire standing in the doorway.
"How long have you been standing there?" Sanyasi asked as he put
his cigarette in the ashtray.
"Long enough," Haywire said. "Listen, we all know what Messiah
did to gain control of the organization. I didn't like it, but I followed his
direction because I had nowhere else to go. I've been looking a long time
for a chance to put him in his place. I know it's not nearly as personal
between me and Messiah as it is for you, but, for what it's worth, he's my
enemy, too."
Sanyasi sighed. "He didn't used to be this way. God, how did he
come to this? I never thought I'd see the day he'd turn against me, turn
against so many people. I really wish things could go back to the way they
were between us. I want to forgive him, I really do. But not like this.
He's not the same person."
"People change," Haywire said. "Not always for the better."
Sanyasi shrugged anticlimactically. "Oh, well, no use crying about
the past now. Everyone knows the drill?"
"Yeah," Kiyone confirmed.
"Good," Sanyasi said. "We'll be making our final approach in a
few minutes. Haywire, get the artillery ready. Get as much ammunition as
you can stuff in your coat. Same goes for you, Kiyone."
"They'd get suspicious if I walked in with more than my blaster,"
she said.
"Good point," Sanyasi said. "Once the shit hits the fan, lay low
until you can pick up some weaponry. We'll cover you until then. Okay,
everybody, get ready; this is the big one. Let's thread the needle, one more
time. "

Mihoshi stared dumbfoundedly around her at the cavernous lobby
that made up the first floor of the main complex of the Gilbride family
business. While Mihoshi drank in the ambience, Iggy wasted no time in
approaching a nearby receptionist. He leaned comfortably on the desk.
"Good afternoon, miss," he chirped. "Might I ask where I can find Gabriel
Gilbride?"
"Do you have an appointment?" the receptionist asked reflexively.
"Unfortunately not," Iggy replied. "However, the matter is of some
importance. I would appreciate it very much if I were allowed to see him
immediately."
"I'm sorry, but Mr. Gilbride is in the middle of a meeting at
present," the receptionist notified him. "I'm afraid that you must make an
appointment if you wish to speak with him."
Iggy smirked with mild annoyance. He certainly was not going to
make an appointment to see his own brother! Then, he remembered his
company ID, which had been given to him after the death of his father to
ensure he had access to the company. He reached into his pocket and
pulled out his thin leather wallet. He withdrew the card an plunked it
down on the desk. "Miss," he began with a wide, condescending smile,
"my name is Ignatius Worthington Gilbride; Gabriel is my older brother.
If you'd like, you can reference the ID number on that card with the
company's database to make perfectly sure. I'm here because an urgent
family matter has come up, and I need to speak with my brother
immediately. So, if you would be a dear and notify him that I'm here, I
would greatly appreciate it."
The receptionist gave a halfway suspicious glance at Iggy, then
busily entered the ID number onto her desktop computer. After a moment,
her eyebrows went up. "Very well, Mr. Gilbride, I'll notify him
immediately."
"Thank you so much," Iggy said, widening his patient smile even
more. He stepped back to wait for the call to go through. Meanwhile,
Mihoshi was still gaping, and nearly bumped into Iggy.
"Wow! It's so big!" she marveled. "Your brother works here?"
"Does he work here?" Iggy chuckled. "Mihoshi, he friggin' owns
the place!"
The receptionist looked up from her desk. "Mr. Gilbride? Mr.
Gilbride will see you. His office is on the top floor to the rear."
"I know my way around, thank you miss," Iggy said with a wide
smile as he passed the desk for the elevator. He motioned for Mihoshi to
follow.
The elevator ride seemed to take forever, and not just because they
had to negotiate thirty-seven stories. When the doors slid open, there was
a clear path straight to the door to Gabriel's office. He stepped out of the
elevator, Mihoshi falling in beside him, and took a deep breath. "Two
years," he said. "It's a long time, isn't it?" He began to walk down the
hallway.
Once at the door, he stopped short and took another deep breath.
He wasn't sure what he would see on the other side of the door. Would it
be a brother who was overjoyed at his sibling's return, or would Gabriel
feel as though he had been abandoned? Had he coped well with the two-
year absence of his younger brother? Only one way to find out. Iggy
twisted the knob and opened the door.
The office, with windows overlooking the expansive skyline
composing the entire rear wall, seemed nearly as big as the lobby. He had
remembered this office only vaguely, back when it was his father's.
Seeing it again brought back a flood of old memories, and the thought of
the past made him smile. Across the spacious floor was the old mahogany
desk, a piece of furniture over which many a hand had been shook. The
leather chair behind it squeaked as it turned to face him, revealing Gabriel
Gilbride, Jr.
Both were speechless for many moments. Iggy stood expectantly,
waiting for some clue as to how well he would be received. Gabriel's
mouth hung open, and his eyes were wide. He slowly got up from his
chair and, almost cautiously, began to walk across the floor. Though he
had grown two years, there was no way that Gabriel could mistake the
sight of his brother. He reached Iggy and gave him a hug that only
brothers can share. "Iggy... God, it's really you. You're back. You're
back."
"Yeah," Iggy responded, emotions momentarily limiting his
vocabulary.
"It's been so long," Gabriel continued. He stepped back to take a
look at his brother, the first look in two years. "Jesus Christ, where have
you been?"
Iggy had no idea how to start explaining. "There was something I
had to do," he said. "Something I had to take care of on my own. But, I
found what I was looking for, and now I'm back for good."
"I'm just glad you're alright," Gabriel said with a deep sigh.
"Mom and I, we didn't know what to think. I mean, so soon after Dad
died, you know? She's been so worried. Both of us have. Shit, Iggy,
you're back. You're back! I still can't believe it. I've got to call her and
tell her to get down here." He was about to bolt for his phone, but stopped
short when he finally noticed someone else in the room. "Who's this?"
"Oh! Gabe, this is Mihoshi. She's a detective with the Galaxy
Police. She helped me get home."
Gabriel reached out and grasped Mihoshi's hand firmly. "Thank
you. Thank you so much for bringing my brother home."
"Oh, it was nothing, really," Mihoshi beamed. "I was just kind of
along for the ride."
Gabriel gave Mihoshi's hand one final firm shake, then skipped off
to make the call to Mrs. Gilbride that her son was home safe and sound.

Chapter 3: Allegiance

The automatic doors to the Zaibatsu's high-rise office building slid
open smoothly, attracting the attention of several of the enforcers on the
ground floor. They all went for their guns when they saw the Galaxy
Police officer pointing her blaster at two men who walked in front of her,
their hands bound behind their back. They backed off when they
recognized the two men as Merchant and Haywire. The trio was
immediately approached by the only lieutenant in the room, a middle-aged
man known as Jericho. He quickly surveyed the three as they stopped in
front of him, paying particular attention to Kiyone, whose back was laden
with a large duffel bag. "I was notified of a possible situation here," he
said. "But it seems that these two are not a threat at the moment. What
business do you have here?"
"Relax, I'm on your payroll," Kiyone said dismissively. "I
overheard these two talking about some kind of plan to attack this place.
If you ask me, they were insane for even thinking it. So, I led them on,
making them think that I would be willing to help, and I turned the tables
on them once we got here. Like lambs to the slaughter, eh, boys?"
"Bite me!" Sanyasi spat.
"Ooh, feisty!" Kiyone taunted. "Awfully big words for someone
with a gun at his back."
"This is quite unexpected, miss..." Jericho trailed off.
"Kiyone. Kiyone Makibi. Detective Kiyone Makibi. More than
happy to be of service to you."
"Right," Jericho said with a smirk. "Well, 'Detective Kiyone
Makibi,' it seems we owe you a great debt in bringing these two betrayers
to us."
"You're damn right, you do!" Kiyone said. "I expect my payoffs to
double after this favor. Do you have any idea how unbearable it is
spending time with these two jerks?"
"Gee, ain't that the pot calling the kettle black?" asked Haywire
acidicly.
Kiyone kicked him hard in the back, causing him to fall over. "I
don't remember asking for your opinion, bitch!" she shouted. By then,
several more enforcers had funneled into the room, hooting and hollering
at the show of force demonstrated by the GP officer. She gave a thumbs-
up to the gallery and smoothed back her hair. "Now, then, as I was saying,
you owe me. So pay me."
"Of course," Jericho said with an oily smile. He thought for a
moment of killing her right then and there, but he decided that the best
course of action would be to accommodate her, to keep up friendly
relations with the GP. Also, he liked her style. "I can assure you that you
will be compensated handsomely."
"Now you're talkin'," Kiyone said enthusiastically. She removed
the duffel bag from her shoulder and put it on the floor. "By the way, I got
something else for you."
"What is it?" Jericho asked eagerly.
"Pain," Sanyasi said. "A world of pain." In a move that seemed
choreographed, Kiyone smoothly slid open the zipper on the bag, while
Sanyasi dove towards it, simultaneously breaking out of his unlocked
handcuffs. He came to his feet brandishing the contents of the bag: the
BSA-32X minigun.
Before Jericho could complete his cry of, "It's a setup!" Sanyasi
had opened fire on the room while Kiyone and Haywire dove for cover.
Jericho, as well as most of the enforcers, had no time to draw their own
guns before being mowed down by the astounding burst of firepower. The
lucky few that did only snapped off a few hurried shots before being
perforated. For nearly a solid minute, Sanyasi swept the minigun from
side to side, cutting down everything that fell within his sights. When he
finally took his finger off the trigger, and the rotary barrels clicked to a
halt, no object in the room had escaped a bullet hole. Body after body
leaked crimson onto the carpeted floor. Taking the destructive symphony
of the minigun as their cue, Grifter, Hazard, Lassiter, Silencer, and
Namesake, who had waited outside, burst into the room, guns poised.
"Jesus Christ!" Namesake marveled. "You sure you need our help,
Merchant?"
"The more the merrier," Sanyasi said as he dropped the minigun
and drew a pair of carbines he had concealed under his black coat. "Let's
go. It's a safe bet that Messiah knows we're here now."
Haywire got up off the floor and raced over to one of the bodies,
and plucked a carbine from it. He tossed it to Kiyone. "Nice performance.
But why'd you have to kick so hard?"
"Just because I'm helping you doesn't mean that I like you," she
said. "Let's get this over with."

Iggy, Gabriel, Mrs. Gilbride, and Mihoshi all sat in Gabriel's office
as Iggy recounted the events that had led to his two-year absence. He told
of how he had met Mitch at the hospital, and had helped him fight the
Zaibatsu. He told them about Fred, who now slept soundly aboard the
Yagami, and about how Kiyone and Mihoshi had been unfortunate enough
to get entangled in everything. He even told them about his embarrassing
bullet wound, which he even now sat gingerly on. Gabriel and Mrs.
Gilbride listened eagerly to every word, scarcely believing that a boy who
was twelve when he disappeared could be subjected to such rigorous
circumstances.
"So, this man, Mitch, he didn't kidnap you?" Mrs. Gilbride asked.
"No, Mom, it was my decision to go with him," Iggy explained.
"There was just something about him that I felt I could trust, and he really
did look after me."
"I still can't believe it," she went on. "I mean, it seems too hard to
believe. You went off with a complete stranger to try and stop an
organized crime syndicate?"
"It's a little more complicated than that," Iggy said. "Mitch was
after this guy named Messiah, who burned him a couple of years ago. In
exchange for my help, he promised to get the guy who killed Dad."
"Did you find out who killed him?" Gabriel asked expectantly.
Mrs. Gilbride, too, had a twinkle of hope in her eyes.
Iggy sighed. "The guy who killed him... was a member of the
organization, the Zaibatsu. He's dead now."
"And that's what you went off to find out?" asked Mrs. Gilbride.
"Iggy, the police were on the case. They would have found out who did
it."
"Like I said, it's a little more complicated than that," Iggy
responded. "I had to do this more for me. I'm sorry that I just up and left
like that, but this was something that I had to be a part of, Mom. The
chance was there, and I took it. You have to know when to take chances
in life; that's what Dad always used to say, remember?"
"Well, I'm sure he wouldn't have approved of you gallivanting
around in space with some gun-toting hooligan," Mrs. Gilbride scolded.
"Iggy, I'm thrilled to death to see that you're all right, and that you're back
home with us. But I should warn you that some day soon that feeling is
going to wear off, and we're going to have a long discussion about how
irresponsible it was for you to leave like that."
"Mom, I've been through more than you can possibly imagine,"
Iggy said with a smile. "One of your lectures will seem like a vacation."
"Well, I'm glad you feel that way," Mrs. Gilbride said curtly. But
then her countenance warmed up as she leaned over and gave Iggy a hug.
"But let's leave that for another day. Right now, let's just be a family
again."
"I couldn't think of anything I'd rather do," Iggy said.
"I still think this guy, Mitch, should be brought in for questioning
or something," Gabriel said. "Seems like he was involved in some pretty
heavy stuff."
"I think Mitch had best be left to fight his own battles," Iggy said.
"He told me that what he was involved in ran deeper than I could ever
know. I'm not sure what that means, but I take it that Mitch intends to
finish what he started. He's been through so much, I think he is owed the
chance to do that."
"I hope everything is going okay," Mihosh interjected. "I'm
worried about Kiyone."
"Mihoshi, the only person I have ever met that comes even close to
being as surly and stubborn as Mitch is your partner," Iggy said. "I'm sure
that she's just fine."
"Officer Mihoshi, I want to thank you again for looking after Iggy,"
Gabriel said.
"Well, it was more like Iggy looked out for me," Mihoshi revealed.
"He brought me meals, changed my bandages, gave me massages..."
"Massages?" Mrs. Gilbride asked, wrinkling her nose suspiciously.
"Well, you see," Iggy stammered, "her shoulder, it... and I had to...
the muscles were... with the bullet and everything..."
"Seems like you grew up a little these past couple years," Gabriel
said with a wink.
"Gabe!" Mrs. Gilbride scolded.
"Yeah, Gabe, gimme a break!" Iggy said, his face reddening.
"I'm just messing with you, bro," Gabriel said, chuckling. "All in
good fun."
"Sure," Iggy said, relaxing. "All in good fun." It was like he had
never left. Two years certainly seemed like a long time, but the gap had
been bridged in mere minutes. It was good to be a family again. It was
good to be home.
Iggy decided that he wouldn't tell his mother and his brother that it
was Sanyasi who killed his father. No matter how hard he tried, Iggy
couldn't bring himself to believe that Sanyasi was guilty of that crime.
Even without knowing him beforehand, it was clear to him that Sanyasi
was right when he used to say that Merchant died. He was not the same
person he was back then. While not a model citizen by any stretch of the
imagination, Sanyasi had nevertheless reached some breakthrough which
had returned to him some of the humanity he had lost along the way. So,
he decided to do one last favor for his former partner, and bill him not as a
killer, but as a protector. And in doing so, even if he didn't admit it to
himself in such terms, Iggy forgave him.

The twin carbines kicked in his hands as Sanyasi fired them into
the oncoming enforcers. Leaning out of the doorway, he was mostly
protected from the oncoming bullets, which splintered the wood of the
doorframe all around him. In a twist of bad luck, both ran out of ammo at
the exact same time, with one enforcer still approaching. There was no
way he would be able to reload them in time, and it was too late to
abandon the heavier firepower just yet. He swung back around behind the
doorway and dug madly into his pocket for more clips, hoping for the best.
Suddenly, he heard a fleshy THUK, followed by the characteristic
sound of a body hitting the floor. He peeked out into the hallway and saw
the dead enforcer, a short arrow sticking out of his back. Behind him
stood silencer, with his weapon of choice still leveled. He preferred the
crossbow due to its silent discharge, and had had one custom made with a
lever action that drew back the string and loaded an arrow from a modified
quiver that attached to the bottom like a clip. The weapon had the ability
to fire arrows at a rate of nearly thirty per minute. Like the man who
wielded it, the weapon was silent, accurate, and deadly.
"Thanks for the assist," Sanyasi said.
"DOWN!" Silencer screamed. Sanyasi ducked to the floor as the
arrow whizzed over him, impacting into the chest of the enforcer who had
tried to sneak up behind him. He fell heavily onto the carpet.
"Thanks again," Sanyasi said, getting to his feet and popping the
clips into the carbines.
"You're buying the drinks later," Silencer said, reloading another
arrow. Grifter, Hazard, Namesake, Haywire, Lassiter, and Kiyone caught
up with them. Lassiter was holding his arm.
"You're hit," Sanyasi observed.
"I'll be fine," Lassiter said. "I can take out all these punks with
one hand, anyway."
"Messiah's on the top floor," Haywire said. "Let's keep going."
Two enforcers them burst out of the stairwell and opened fire. A
barrage of shots from Sanyasi and Grifter sent them down. Among their
own ranks, someone also hit the floor. Everyone looked down at Silencer,
who lay motionless and bleeding from the chest.
Hazard felt his pulse. "No good," he said.
"Fuck!" Grifter yelled.
"Leave him," Sanyasi said. "We'll come back for him later.
We've got to keep moving." Not having any time to mourn the fallen, the
group pressed on, floor by floor.
They progressed strategically, spreading themselves out so that no
more than two were in the same place at the same time. Some would ride
the elevators, while others would go up the stairwell. Sanyasi went
through clip after clip as he and the others killed everyone in their way.
The only one not firing wildly was Kiyone, who only shot in self-defense
and to protect the members of Sanyasi's party. Even among criminals, she
didn't forget her police training. Even with her limited engagement, she
was also going through clips steadily.
The group reconvened on one of the middle floors to assess the
situation. Most of the enforcers were coming up from the lower floors.
"Messiah expected something," Sanyasi said, while returning fire so as not
to get pinned down. "He sent them all to the low floors to stop us there."
"It should be clear going up to the top floor, then," Grifter said.
"We'll hold them off here," Lassiter said. "You get to Messiah."
A yelp behind them caused them to turn and look, just in time to
see Hazard fall to the floor. Grifter rushed to assist him. He inspected the
wound while Lassiter and Sanyasi provided cover fire. "He's hit bad,"
Grifter said. He dragged him out of the line of fire and propped him up
against the wall. He knew Hazard didn't have much time. "Hang in there,
buddy."
"I ain't dead yet," Hazard said with a weak smile. "Just gimme
somethin' to shoot at."
Grifter smiled and handed him his carbine. "Here you go. Rock
on."
"Rock on, baby!" Hazard yelled as he shot off into a group of
enforcers who had ducked for cover. Grifter rushed to rejoin Sanyasi and
Lassiter. Haywire, Namesake, and Kiyone caught up with them.
"Hazard's down," Grifter reported. "The rest of us should stay
down here while Merchant goes after Messiah."
"I'm going with him," Kiyone said firmly. "I've come this far, and
I won't let him out of my sight for a second."
"Fine," Sanyasi said. "Just stay out of the way."
Suddenly the door to just about every room in the hallway, which
amounted to about a dozen, opened and revealed armed enforcers with
guns trained on Sanyasi's group. They all hurriedly ducked for cover.
Sanyasi wasn't quite quick enough, and felt the searing sting of a bullet
passing through his thigh. He grimaced in pain as he leaned up against the
wall, out of the line of fire. He took a quick peek down the hall. In order
to get to the elevator, he would have to run a gauntlet of bullets. And,
with his leg wound, he wouldn't be nearly fast enough.
Namesake fired around a corner and hurriedly resumed his safe
position. "They're like fucking cockroaches!"
"God, I wish I had some grenades right now," Lassiter said.
"They keep ducking behind those doorways," Kiyone said. "We
can't get at them. They've got us pinned down."
"I'm hit, guys, I can't run it," Sanyasi reported.
Haywire breathed deep. "You won't have to," he said. He loaded
a fresh clip into both of his carbines and stood up. He looked over at
Sanyasi. "I want to see this thing end just as much as you do."
"What the hell are you doing?" Sanyasi asked.
Haywire smiled. "It was good shooting with you again, Mitch."
He rounded the corner and began to sprint full tilt down the hallway, his
carbines firing at every doorway.
His protests unheard over the roar of the automatic weapons,
Sanyasi watched as Haywire ran and shot his way through the ambush.
Sprays of blood spat out from Haywire's body where bullets hit, but his
momentum kept his legs pumping and moving forward. But, the enforcers
fell, and few were left in shooting condition when Haywire felt his legs
giving out. He summoned the last of his strength and leapt forward,
turning his body in midair. Like a corkscrew he dove, his carbines
spraying bullets in all directions, hitting everything near him. When he
finally hit the ground, no enforcer remained standing.
Knowing he didn't have much time to lose, Sanyasi limped as fast
as he could down the hallway, Kiyone following close beside him. "We'll
hold off the stragglers here," Grifter shouted after him. "Get to the top
floor."
"Good luck," Lassiter followed up.
"I owe you guys," Sanyasi said. He looked down at Haywire's
lifeless form. "I owe you." He threw down his carbines, drew his
Duquettes and plodded on, wincing with each step, knowing that his path
to Messiah had finally been cleared.

Chapter 4: The Root of the Sickness

Sanyasi and Kiyone were unable to take the elevator straight to the
top floor. It had been rigged to stop on every level, often meaning a fresh
batch of enforcers to greet them. So, with bad leg and all, Sanyasi took the
stairs. With Kiyone's help, the few enforcers they did confront were
eliminated easily. Their progress was slow, but steady. When they nearly
reached the top floor, Sanyasi stopped abruptly. "Why are you stopping?"
Kiyone asked.
"Listen, go on ahead and make sure Messiah doesn't get away,"
Sanyasi said. "He has a private helicopter. I'm sure that he'll bolt if he
thinks we're getting too close. If he's not in the office at the end of the
hall, he might already be up on the roof. Just keep him there until I catch
up."
"Not a chance," Kiyone said firmly. "I'm not letting you out of my
sight."
"This is bigger than me!" Sanyasi returned, his voice raised. "This
is bigger than both of us. Messiah has to answer for what he's done. And
whether it's to me or to someone else doesn't really matter right now. The
important thing is that he be stopped. Go ahead."
Not sure quite how else to respond, Kiyone did as she was told and
began to trot up the stairs. Sanyasi called after her, "Don't do anything
stupid. And don't shoot him if you can help it. I still want him to answer
to me." Kiyone nodded sharply and continued on her way. Sanyasi
limped up the last few sets of stairs, hoping he hadn't made a mistake by
sending Kiyone ahead. Then again, he had never seen anyone quite like
Kiyone. He was sure that his decision was sound.
He finally reached the top floor, a spotty trail of blood from the
wound in his thigh tracing his path on the stairs. He burst from the door,
swinging his pistols in all directions. Satisfied that no one was there, he
dragged his injured leg behind him as he set his sights on the office at the
end of the hall.
Suddenly, one of the windows of a side office which flanked either
side of the hall disintegrated outward, sending shards of glass across the
floor. Sanyasi threw himself to one side to avoid the glass, but impacted
hard against the opposite wall, dropping his pistols. He looked up from
his crouch and narrowed his eyes to see into the darkness of the unlit
office. There was no need, however, as the figure stepped out of the
darkness for him. Sanyasi felt something drop hard into the pit of his
stomach as he saw the long red hair that stirred up so many memories of a
life once lived. Opal emerged with a smoking shotgun.
The affliction that had plagued Sanyasi for two years made its
presence felt like never before. It felt to him as though someone had
reached into him and tied his innards into a knot. He tried hard to fight off
the pain in that moment he wasn't sure he wanted to face. He had often
thought about what would happen if he ever saw Annie again, but nothing
prepared him for what he felt. All the old feelings of betrayal resurfaced,
as he felt his heart break all over again. It was only his desire to seek
revenge on Messiah that prevented him from running away.
"What's the matter, Mitch?" Opal taunted, noticing his discomfort.
"I thought you'd be happy to see your old flame."
"I never wanted to see you again," Sanyasi said through gritted
teeth.
"Ouch," she replied blandly. "Still not over it, huh? I guess you're
even more pathetic than I thought."
"It's not pathetic to care," Sanyasi said.
"Oh, listen to you talking about caring! You kill people for money,
and you talk about caring?"
"That's who I used to be," Mitch said. "I've changed. I guess you
haven't though."
"Yes, I have, Mitch," Opal hissed. "You know, this patch on my
face isn't a fashion statement. You took my fucking eye! I guess you
didn't think about it too much when you left me bleeding, but my other
eye went into sympathetic shock. I was blind for half a year! For six
goddamned months the only vision frozen in my head was of that knife
coming at me." She removed the patch, revealing the milky, scarred,
sightless eye beneath it. "Now we settle things. I finish what I started two
years ago."
"Not before I do," Sanyasi replied icily. He dove for his guns,
narrowly missing the spray of buckshot directed at him. He came up
firing, but Opal was already on the run, again retreating back into the
darkened office. Sanyasi fired blindly, hoping to keep her at bay until he
himself could establish a position. He backpedaled to the desk in the
facing office and crouched behind it, shooting out the glass that obstructed
his target. Both rooms were dark, and it was hard for either to clearly see
their target. They resulted to guesswork, each firing where they thought
the other was crouched.
A lamp on the desk Sanyasi used for shelter shattered at the hands
of buckshot, causing sparks to fly out and rain down on him. He popped
up to return fire, realizing a split second too late that he sparks would
make him visible. The echoing boom of Opal's twelve gauge greeted him.
Sanyasi shrieked in pain as he felt several pellets bore into his right arm,
causing him to drop his gun. He did not get up. With an absence in
gunfire, Opal cautiously stood up and slowly entered the facing office, her
gun poised. She wasn't sure exactly where she had hit Sanyasi, but he
knew he had been hit. She couldn't see very well in the darkness, either.
She would shoot anything that moved.
Something did move in front of her. She shot at it, before she
realized that it was the desk. The flying splinters rained down on Sanyasi,
who had braced his uninjured shoulder against the desk and pushed it as
fast as he could. Opal was unable to brace her feet to halt the desk's
progress, and soon found her back against the wall. The desk slammed
into her hard, causing the shotgun to clatter to the floor from her grasp.
With his adversary pinned and helpless, Sanyasi flicked his right wrist to
draw his knife, barely able to do so because of the pain. With the light
from the hallway illuminating Opal's face, Sanyasi swept his knife up at
her obvious weak spot. The blade made a smooth ripping sound as it
sliced through Opal's eye, causing blood and other fluids to erupt from it.
Her scream made his blood run cold, as she clutched her wound and
double over onto the desktop. Her legs immobilized by the desk, her top
half writhed on the desk, her screams eventually subsiding into whimpers,
and eventually tears. Sanyasi looked at her almost pitiably. She was blind
and helpless. It was only then that he noticed that his stomach no longer
pained him. He had exorcised one of the ghosts that plagued him.
Opal continued to cry, her dripping eye covered by her cupped
hand. Her salty tears stung the wound. Sanyasi pressed the muzzle of his
pistol to the back of her head. "Please, don't cry," he said softly. "It
annoys me." He yanked back on the trigger, and brought Opal's two years
of borrowed time to an end.

Only one door left. Kiyone had reached the end of the expansive
hallway at the top floor and stood at the large oak double doors that
presumably led into Messiah's office. She took a deep breath as she
grasped the knob. Blaster poised in the ready position, she opened the
door and raced in.
The room was cavernous; much larger than any office she had seen
before. She doubted that the Grand Marshall himself had nearly the
square-footage in his office that this one did. She quickly looked around
and saw no one, the only forms being that of a few bushy green potted
plants against the wall. At the rear of the office was a desk with a large
black leather chair, its back facing her. She cautiously approached the
desk, her eyes fixed firmly on the chair. She heard it squeak before she
even saw it begin to rotate. Slowly the owner of the chair revealed himself
as he turned away from the shadows and faced Kiyone. His face was
blank and pale, not unlike that of a corpse. His stringy, light blue hair
hung down over his brow like icicles, almost obscuring his pale gray eyes.
Those eyes then fixed on Kiyone as the sights of her blaster came to rest
on him.
"Now, this is disappointing," he said. "Where's my real dance
partner?"
"Surrender, Messiah," Kiyone said firmly and evenly. "Your men
have all been killed."
"Not all of them," he replied with a smile. Kiyone suddenly felt
the barrel of a pistol pressed to her temple. She had failed to notice the
pair of enforcers that had snuck up behind her from the shadows.
"Drop your weapon," one of them said. Kiyone reluctantly
complied, dropping her blaster to the floor. It was quickly picked up by
the enforcer.
"You see?" Messiah asked. "There are no certainties in this world.
I mean, take Merchant, for example. I was certain that he would be the
one who would burst through that door and wave a gun at me. Instead, he
sent a has-been cop to finish his dirty work. I can't say I'm surprised,
really. But, it is a shame."
"He's on his way right now," Kiyone said.
"Good," Messiah said enthusiastically. "Until then, let's keep each
other company, shall we?" He got up from his chair and stepped further
out of the shadows, allowing Kiyone to get her first real look at him.
Upon inspecting his face, she noticed that it seemed familiar. She was
almost certain that she had seen it somewhere before. Despite the fact
that, as far as she knew, the Galaxy Police had no photographic record of
him.
Messiah stopped a few feet from Kiyone and looked her over for a
moment. Then, he suddenly flicked his wrist and brought out his throwing
knife, stopping the point a scant few inches from Kiyone's forehead. After
pausing it there for a second, he turned the blade down and showed her
the handle, the pattern of the coiled snake reflecting the dim light of the
room. "You've been around Merchant, or Sanyasi, or whatever the hell
he's calling himself these days, so you know what this is, don't you,
Detective? Merchant has one just like it. This pair of knives is many,
many years old. The leader of this organization has wielded these knives
in the past, as a symbol of strength. It ate at me that Merchant was given
the knives, and not me. So, I was very much looking forward to his
arrival, so I can take the other one, and complete the set for myself. But, it
seems that that was not meant to pass. At least, not today."
"He wants to kill you," Kiyone told him.
"I don't doubt that for a second," Messiah replied. "Merchant has
always been blind to the needs of others. He misconstrued my attempt on
his life as a personal vendetta, as opposed to looking out for the best
interests of this organization. He wasn't fit to lead; he couldn't see that.
The Zaibatsu needed someone who would run it like the business that it is,
and not some church. His mind became infected with the stodgy traditions
of the old guard. It corrupted his potential. I looked at him and saw
natural abilities that I could never dream of having. That did not bother
me. What did bother me is how he misused those talents. And now, as
further proof of his blindness, he seeks to eliminate me, not realizing that
it was not me that ended his rise to power, but himself."
"If you're so opposed to tradition," Kiyone said, "then why is the
other knife so important to you?"
"Because it's mine!" Messiah thundered. "I am the only one who
knows what direction this organization must go in. I am the only one who
can see the future! And I will not have my vision crumble at the hands of
some idealistic doormat!" Messiah took a deep breath and smoothed back
his hair, collecting his emotions. "Let me tell you something about
Merchant. I don't know what he's told you, but I guarantee that it is a
pack of lies. He has a way of manipulating people, coercing them to do
his bidding. He has twisted your mind, my dear. Don't blame yourself,
he's quite good at it. But, I guess this comes too late for you. You blindly
followed him on this little crusade, and look where it got you." Messiah
began to walk away, and motioned for his enforcers to follow. They
grabbed Kiyone by the shoulders and forced her along to the back of the
office, and what looked like a small elevator.
"I have a flight to catch," Messiah said. "I would be most
appreciative if you saw me off." The elevator doors closed behind them,
and the car lurched upwards on its short journey to the roof.
The helicopter was waiting with engine running, pilot ready for
takeoff. As Messiah approached the rotors began to spin. The enforcers
stopped Kiyone several feet from the craft. Messiah turned to Kiyone
before boarding. "I hate to leave so abruptly," he shouted over the roar of
the engine, "but I must retreat to calmer surroundings. Adieu, Detective."
"Hey, boss!" one of the enforcers shouted. "What do we do with
her?"
"She is of no more concern to me," Messiah said. "She is at your
disposal for disposal. Consider it a perk."
The two enforcers looked at each other and smiled. One of them
put his hand on Kiyone's rear. "Looks like you're going to be getting to
know us real well, darlin'," he said.
Kiyone turned her eyes on him in disgust, just in time to see a river
of blood explode from the side of his head. The gunshots had been
muffled due to the loud engine of the helicopter, but she had heard them,
nonetheless. She wheeled around and saw that the other enforcer had
suffered a similar fate. Both of them were quite dead before they hit the
ground. She turned to the elevator, where the shots had come from,
Messiah doing the same as he paused with one leg already in the cabin of
the helicopter. There, with the breeze kicked up by the rotors billowing
his black, bloodstained coat, stood Sanyasi, smoking gun in hand.
"Mitch!" Messiah growled.
Sanyasi was not finished shooting. He clenched his hand tightly
around his pistol and trained his sights on the pilot. He fired, sending the
high-powered bullet crashing through the glass, boring past the flight
helmet, and into the pilot's skull. He slumped over lifeless on the console,
obviously no longer able to perform the task of delivering Messiah to
safety. The sound of the engine died down.
Sanyasi and Messiah glared at each other for a long time. Kiyone
noticed the wound in his arm that Sanyasi had received. He was in danger
of blood loss. In fact, it was amazing to her that he was still standing, let
alone able to shoot straight.
"So, you finally decided to show up," Messiah said, stepping down
from the cabin. "I was afraid you stood me up."
"I've come for you, Messiah," Sanyasi growled, his pistol still
poised.
"'Messiah?' Why so formal? I mean, we haven't seen each other
in so long, brother."
Sanyasi narrowed his eyes. "It has been a long time, hasn't it,
Ian?"