Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ To Those About To Die ❯ Chapter 19 - Fate ( Chapter 19 )

Chapter Nineteen -- Fate

 

I stood at parade rest in Epitaph's office as she made some final adjustments to the project. While she worked, I used the time to reach out with my mind and keep tabs on my team.

 

What I found did not please me. The Girl had found Naoe Nagi, but, as I knew would be the case, had not yet been able to capture or dispatch him. She was chasing him all over the damned facility, wearing herself out and no doubt playing right into his hands. I grimaced as She taunted him yet again.

 

Dismissing the anger her antics brought up in me, I turned my attention to Kiko. I frowned as I ran up against his shields; I hadn't expected that. Cautiously, so as not to distract him from whatever was happening, I worked my way through his shields and eavesdropped. Currently he was crouching behind a wall of fire, with the three Weiß in his line of sight.

 

::Kiko, what's going on?:: No answer. I sent a little more strongly, ::Did you stop them?::

 

Kiko's reply came tinged with apprehension. ::Um, Berger, we've had some unexpected company.:: He turned to look past the fire.

 

I saw through his eyes, and understood why his shields had been up. ::Schuldig!:: Oh, hell! This was going so wrong! I tried not to let my fear show through our link. ::He must be upset because he wasn't invited to the party,:: I quipped. ::Just keep him busy, and be careful, little brother.::

 

::What about those other guys?:: Kiko sent, bracing for an attack.

 

::Don't worry about them,:: I told him even as I saw Schuldig leap to strike.

 

“Berger!”

 

I turned to face Epitaph, my link with Kiko dissolving into his shields.

 

“I must go,” she stated, rising from her desk. “Our data on Schwarz is insufficient and needs to be recalculated.”

 

Inwardly I groaned. This was a hell of a time for our employer to be admitting that!

 

As I escorted Epitaph with two of her students, I tentatively reached out for my teammates, to see how they fared. I couldn't reach either of them. Frowning, I concentrated on the task at hand, as there was nothing else I could do.

 

We entered a large room with a walkway overlooking the lower level, and I paused. Epitaph's destination lay on the other side of the room, via the walkway. The lower section, however, held a potential problem. The three Weiß had just rushed in, and now stood staring up at us. I made a quick decision and addressed the two students. “Escort Epitaph downstairs.” They led her over the walkway while I descended to deal with Kritiker.

 

I understood just enough Japanese to comprehend as the man with the clawed gauntlets blurted, “Epitaph? That's the academy director! So it's not Tsujii?”

 

In spite of the situation, I laughed softly. If this is how prepared they were for this situation, diverting them would be no problem at all. “Tsujii? She's just Epitaph's arms and legs.” Letting them digest this at their own pace, I used their momentary confusion to begin collecting the threads of their thoughts and weaving them to my will. As I did this, their language became easier for me to follow; unlike telepaths who work with word images, I could pluck the symbolic meanings from these fellows' thoughts with little effort.

 

The archer addressed his colleagues in a way that suggested he was more than an operative: “We have an addition to the mission. Execute Epitaph.”

 

Then something surprising happened. The youngest cried out, “Wait! Mom, is that you?”

 

The archer paused to look at the youth. “Mom?” This one was definitely no operative - the head of Kritiker, was it? Interesting.

 

The clawed man stared. “Her?”

 

Every moment they gave me in their unguarded thoughts, the deeper within I would be. I listened distantly to their frantic discussion, and wove.

 

“Epitaph is really the missing Kisaragi Fumie?”

 

The boy took off running toward me, aiming for the stairs to the walkway. “Answer me!”

 

He didn't seem to notice that I was blocking his way. Good. They were nearly ready. I straight-armed the boy, knocking him to the floor.

 

His teammates shouted what must have been his name - “Sena!” - and rushed to his side. I watched this little drama unfold, knowing that I was at least costing them precious time.

 

“Is she really your mother?”

 

“She looked like her, but I'm not sure.”

 

“Is that why you're all worked up?” The one with the claws stood. “Go find out, we'll take care of this.”

 

His arrogance amazed me. “Take care of this?” I chuckled. True, this man had faced Schwarz, and the Elders of Esset. Why would he be afraid of me?

Releasing his claws, he snarled, “I'm going to wipe that smirk off your face!” He began to rush me.

 

Before his right foot hit the ground, he paused in mid-run, confused. “What!?” He spun and struck, but I was not there.

 

Young Sena, however, was. The boy dodged more out of luck than skill, and then returned the attack, seeing not his own teammate, but me.

 

Their esteemed leader called out the boy's name and flung a handful of darts into the fray, nearly hitting the one with the claws.

 

That one jumped backward and cried out, “What are you doing! You're supposed to aim! He's over there!” He pointed, but not at me, at Sena.

 

Sena yelled at his teammate, “Ken, stay focused! He's got a knife pointed at you!”

 

The three were dancing to my will. Now all I had to do was find a way to lock them in here for a while, and things would take care of themselves. I didn't like being out of touch with my team for so long, especially under the circumstances.

 

With a low distant rumble, the building shook, nearly knocking me off balance. I blinked, startled, and my carefully arranged web fell away. I struggled to maintain what threads I could.

 

From the archer's thoughts I discerned a new voice, low and confident. A voice from my own nightmares. ::He's on your left.::

 

I reacted by instinct, sweeping my arm in front of me as the lethal darts flew true. Desperate to cover my own fear, I ignored Weiß and spoke directly to the man who stood mere feet behind me. “Are you that upset that you didn't get invited to the party, Crawford?”

 

His speaking voice was as smooth as his mental voice as he replied, “It appears that the agents of Rosenkreuz have not learned how to address their superiors.”

 

I swallowed. I had to keep up the bluff, so I turned slowly and asked, “What, should I have said `pleased to meet you, my lord'?” The words caught in my throat as I saw him, looking exactly as he had in my dream: my own personal Moriarty, elegant and lethal.

 

He snorted a laugh. “Please. Such arrogance is unbecoming.”

 

I couldn't think of a damn thing to say! Then words given to me long ago, when I was first assigned to hunt this man down, came flowing out of my mouth with the ease of a well-known script: “Are you so jealous of our powers, that you would confront us?” Oh, hell. That was the wrong thing to do, I knew it the moment the words were out. Now I had no choice but to fight.

 

Crawford addressed the men of Weiß. “You guys get out of here. You'll only be in the way.”

 

I took a swing at him, my mind searching for any way out of this room.

 

Moving easily, Crawford blocked my attack and returned two. I was on the defensive, and he knew it. I wished Kiko were here, or even the Girl: they could stop Crawford with physical attacks, while I had to hope he was not immune to illusion.

 

I reached out to Crawford's mind, and pulled.

 

I must have surprised him; he fell into my mental trap with little struggle. Now we were on my turf, and he would not be so quick to block me. Here his foreknowing would not work. Here, was my world.

 

His shields were phenomenal, keeping me from the deepest parts of his mind with ease. Now that he was no longer startled, he rallied and fought back with unexpected strength. Still, he was in my territory now, and I hit him with everything I had.

 

Distantly I was aware of our bodies, standing toe to toe, unmoving. I saw the blood pooling in his eyes like crimson tears. But he did not surrender, nor did his resolve weaken. He withstood my attempts at bending his will, though it was killing his body to do so.

 

My concentration cracked as I felt more than heard a loud shriek, amplified by a massive current. The sudden distraction gave Crawford an opportunity, and he fought back with renewed vigor. Inwardly I staggered, frantically deflecting Crawford's tenacious attack while my mind reeled with the death of my teammate.

 

The longer this fight went on, the worse it would be for both of us. I wanted to bring this to an end, and quickly. But I needed something stronger, something personal, before I could reach the level of his mind that would render him vulnerable to me. Though I was not trained in telepathic assault, I knew the theory, and it was only a little more difficult than what I did by instinct. With extreme care, I divided my attention, setting part of it to keeping him from harming me, while the other part sought out his weaknesses.

 

We grappled like devils, like angels, each intent on disabling the other and neither having the proper resources to do so. I could feel my heart pounding, taste the sweat on my lips. Dimly I saw blood trickling from Crawford's eyes and ears, and gushing suddenly from his nose. His body must have taken a lot of abuse over the years; I doubted he could last much longer, no matter how strong his mind.

 

::Oh, God, no, I'm scared, I don't want to die! Berger! Can't we just --:: I felt Kiko's death. Something in my chest threatened to break loose and shatter. He had been like a little brother to me, the only person besides Toni I had ever truly cared about.

 

That meant I was the last. I would win, or I would die. It was that simple, had always been that simple. I found a new reserve of strength and tore inward, forcing my way past Crawford's remaining shields.

 

He buckled, his body reacting to the mental overload. I was looking for the key to him, the one secret he would die to keep from me. Not an old secret; something fresh, something relevant. The secret that could destroy him.

 

And I found it.