what you're about to say...I don't want to know.
I assure you, there is an excellent explanation for my recent absence. It involves a sudden influx of things to do outside of Livejournal and MS Word (and some things, like Script Frenzy, which are on MS Word).
But, um. It is, as you may have noticed, a Thursday. And it just so happens that after about a month or so of FAILURE, I have a Code blue update for you. Specifically, the first chapter of Part III. I've been working on it on-and-off all week. And while it isn't much consolation for all that accidental hiatus, you'll notice that this chapter's a bit longer than the average chapter of Part I or II.
Title: Code Blue Part III (1/?)
Fandom:: xxxHOLiC
Wordcount: 2,759
Warnings: Violence.
A/N: Several questions are answered here. Several new ones are introduced. More importantly, the plot gains a few more expendable characters. And there is vaguely-explained technology.
Previous Chapters / Part I Beginning / Part II Beginning
Having escaped from Dr. Kyle and destroyed his manor/laboratory in the process, Watanuki and his acquired rescuer Doumeki set off back to the place to which the latter reports. They end up hitching a ride there from Doumeki's mentor/guardian Subaru, who for some reason seems troubled. It is revealed that Doumeki was not expected to return from his mission alive.
Though Doumeki trusts Subaru, Watanuki is suspicious of the whole situation. Doing some sneaking of his own, he discovers that a slightly unwilling Subaru and the head honcho, Sakurazuka Seishirou, are plotting the death of Doumeki. Watanuki runs off to find Doumeki, and while doing so discovers a room full of information files on various people, organisations, and occurrences. Here he discovers that Dr Kyle is related to Clow Reed and another man named Fei Wong Reed, who is the scientist behind Project LSD. In addition, Watanuki learns of Clow Reed's Projects, two mysterious entities that seem to be connected to both Kyle and Project LSD.
However, this knowledge is not enough to save Watanuki from the nefarious scheme already at hand - or so it would seem. Subaru seems eager for some reason to investigate Kyle's experiments that remain intact in Watanuki, and eventually elicits consent to do so - providing that both Watanuki and Doumeki go otherwise unharmed. The procedure is begun at once, under Seishirou's surveillance - but at the use of an anaesthetic needle, Watanuki is sent into another panic attack. He ends up injuring Subaru rather severely, which angers Seishirou quite a bit. Doumeki fortunately turns up at the right moment and he escapes with Watanuki in tow. With the help of an eccentric prisoner named Fuuma, they manage to escape the base altogether.
Outside, they are attacked by Seishirou's men, but a pair of mysterious strangers come to the rescue. When the dust has settled, Watanuki notices a great similarity between one of the strangers and the ghost woman who helped him out back at Kyle's.
Part III
Watanuki was bursting with questions, but managed to hold his tongue as their rescuers dealt with the collective damage and presented a most glorious meal. Considering that he had only suffered half a day without food, Watanuki didn’t think he should have been as hungry as he was - but his stomach didn’t listen to reason. He was content to sit and eat as introductions were made.
The man who’d spoken to them first on the hill was tall and broad-shouldered, obviously native Japanese like most of the people in this part of the world. He didn’t introduce himself at first, but glared meaningfully at his companion whenever the other man seemed about to do so.
The other man was definitely the more talkative of the two. He didn’t look native at all, with round blue eyes and messy blonde hair, exactly like the woman back at Kyle’s who had actually talked to Watanuki. He introduced himself as Fai and spoke cheerfully of nothing at all as he dispensed food among the masses. It was Fai who explained the more baffling elements of their rescue in slightly more baffling ways, like how aid had arrived (aircraft, about ten meters beyond yea rock) and how they had even known to come (magic).
Once the meal had been consumed - it didn’t take very long - Watanuki had planned to ask Fai a few questions concerning the sister that had to exist, but Fuuma beat him to it. “So how’s free life been treating you two?” he inquired lazily. “I notice there wasn’t a single ‘oh, hello, Fuuma old buddy!’ from either of you.” His face was completely free of malice, but Watanuki had to wonder again about the backstory here.
It was the larger man who replied. “We’ve traveled incognito enough to know when other people are,” he said. “It’s only Fuuma, then?”
Fuuma grinned. “Absolutely right, Kurogane.”
“How about you two?” Fai asked of the younger members of the party.
Watanuki had always been leery of his first name, and especially now that there were assuredly people after him. "I'm Watanuki," he said. "Thanks for helping us."
Doumeki gazed at the two newcomers for a long moment. "You know me," he said simply.
"So tell me, how'd you manage to subdue all of our pursuers?" Fuuma inquired, cutting Watanuki off once more before he could ask about the sister. "As I recall, there were more than a few. Enough to keep Shizuka here running, and that is saying something." He grinned at Doumeki, who only inclined his head the slightest amount to indicate that he'd heard.
In reply, Kurogane drew a small round metal object from his coat pocket. It did not glint in the dim daylight. Clinging to it was an acrid smell that struck a chord deep in the connections of Watanuki's memory. "This is how," the tall man said with the beginnings of a bloodthirsty smile. Not exactly sure why he was suddenly so intimidated, Watanuki edged away from that small sphere - directly into Doumeki's side. The ensuing irritation and embarrassment dispelled the unease, and when it was over the object was safely stowed in Kurogane's pocket once more.
"Gas bomb," Fai explained cheerfully. "Knocks 'em out, keeps 'em sick for a few days. It doesn't kill, though, so we need to get out of here before they report us to anyone." He winked. "We're all wanted men here, aren't we?"
"Except me," added Fuuma with a chuckle. "I'm unwanted."
There was a moment of silence that could have - would have - turned awkward very quickly, had Watanuki not had such a pressing question. "Fai, do you have a - ah, do you have a sister?"
The blonde man snorted. "Why? Like what you see?"
For a moment Kurogane's face grew stormy. "No! Th-that's not it at all!" exclaimed Watanuki; the taller man instantly calmed. "I just met a woman who looked exactly like you. She said she had a brother, and I thought - well, maybe it was…" He trailed off as Fai's face went deadly serious. "Was - is it you?"
Fai seemed to be choosing his words carefully. "I… don't have a sister," he said. "I have a brother. But as you can see, we are not the most masculine of men."
"She was a woman," Doumeki added. "But…she didn't have to always have been." He glanced at Watanuki as if unsure if this revelation was expected. "Kyle experimented."
All colour drained from Fai's face, and he winced dramatically. For Watanuki's part, this revelation was new but not shocking. But Fai, who had presumably not known about the location of his late twin - or the lateness of said twin - had not the same preconditioning for the revelation. "Kyle Reed had him?" he asked in a voice that shook.
"That bastard?" Kurogane added.
Watanuki wished that Doumeki hadn't said anything, although he knew that in the end they would have had to explain what had happened. But he could've been less blunt about it. This was poor Fai's brother that they were talking about. "I met her - him - when I was in Kyle's possession myself," Watanuki replied miserably. "He was the only other sane person there. And then, there was…" He trailed off, not wanting to even think about how Kyle had killed Fai's brother.
And it wasn't like he - or should it be she? - ze had really properly died. Watanuki had seen Fai's brother several times after ze had been killed, as a ghost. But after the explosion, there hadn't been a single spirit.
Doumeki, who by some unfair stroke of luck seemed to have caught on to Watanuki's train of thought, shook his head. "No one was left," he said quietly.
Fai seemed to understand, eyes going wide for a moment before he miraculously regained control of himself. "So Yuui is…"
"Dead," finished Doumeki. "He said to say goodbye to you."
"He did?" asked Fai in a voice that seemed dangerously close to cracking.
"He did?" demanded Watanuki, who had not been privy to this bit of information. When had Doumeki met Yuui? Since when did Doumeki see ghosts, anyway?
Kurogane stepped in at this point. He and Fuuma had been watching the exchange with no little concern; now he reached a hand to grasp Fai's shoulder. With a start, Watanuki realised that it wasn't flesh, but metal. A false arm.
"You know what this means," he said to Fai, a statement loaded with heavy meaning that was utterly lost on Watanuki. But apparently Fai did know, for he nodded in grim resolution. "We'll deal with that now," Kurogane continued, glancing at Fuuma.
"Kuro and I will be but a moment," said Fai in an overly bright tone for moment. But Kurogane did not comment at all about it, or the name which he apparently detested. The two walked off into the trees and out of sight.
"They'll be back," said Fuuma. "Fai and Yuui had a close connection. In a way that had nothing to do with human relationships." He seemed content to leave them with that explanation, leaning back against the rock. "But while they're gone, you two ought to fetch the aircraft. I don't think that staying here long would be a very good idea, given the circumstances."
"Let's go," said Doumeki, before Watanuki could say anything. "Fuuma's right."
"About ten meters beyond yea rock," Fuuma repeated lazily, gesturing at the appropriate piece of the landscape. "As I recall, it's aluminum and should be fairly light. The heavy stuff that normally flies in it is currently unloaded here, or off with Fai doing something of extreme importance."
Watanuki didn't think that Kurogane would have taken kindly to being referred to as dead weight, but Doumeki was pulling him off to go fetch the craft, and complaints took precedence over casual observances.
"I know where we're going!" Watanuki snapped at the unrelenting tug on his arm.
"News to me," replied Doumeki.
The aircraft was concealed cleverly under a tarp that was actually much the same colour as the surrounding earth. Whether this was due to careful doctoring or failure to wash, Watanuki had no idea - though he rather suspected the latter. At any rate, this did explain why Seishirou's seemingly uptight security had not yet found it. Underneath the tarp, the craft was a nondescript dirty gray, rusted in some places, though the faint odour of rust was mostly concealed by the stronger smell of gasoline. It was larger than Watanuki had suspected, though not nearly as large as the aircraft he had seen near the airstrip.
When they returned with it - the aircraft was as Fuuma had said surprisingly lightweight, incredibly easy to push - Kurogane and Fai had also rejoined Fuuma. Fai was looking just as carefree as ever. It was as if he had completely forgotten the news he had just received, or completely pulled through, but Watanuki had to wonder if that was really the case. Kurogane had not lost the worried frown.
They all helped loading the few supplies that had been pulled out - mostly food, and some boxes that looked likely to store weapons. And Fuuma, of course, who was for this point of time considered luggage according to Kurogane. Then they all wheeled it to the airstrip, and the rest of them climbed into what was actually a pretty comfortable space by Watanuki’s standards. There was more than enough room in the front for two people, and then there was another compartment which Fai disappeared into as soon as he’d climbed inside.
Kurogane eyed the door that his companion had disappeared into, frowning further. “Fuuma, you can fly this, right?”
“Well, mostly,” the legless man replied. “There’s just the issue of feet.”
“I’ll copilot,” Doumeki said. “I’ve flown something similar.”
“And me?” Watanuki demanded, not wanting to be useless yet again. “What can I do?”
Kurogane regarded him for a long moment, inscrutable. It was impossible to tell if he disapproved of Watanuki, or simply didn’t care one way or the other. Finally, he nodded. “Stay up front and watch the windows and mirrors. We don’t know if you’re gonna be chased or not.” He then turned and followed Fai into the other compartment, closing the door decisively behind him. His voice, muffled, was audible but unintelligible in the front - until Fuuma started the engine, which drowned out most sound.
“Hang on,” Fuuma advised cheerfully, and started the craft down the runway.
Presently Watanuki was able to clamber unsteadily to his knees, and set about staring out the windshield. He had never been in the air before. The sky, which had been uniformly gray and featureless from below, seemed a whole different entity at this height. Mountains and precipices of condensed water rose from the fluffy white masses that scudded across the sky, and from a few breaks in the topmost layer a smattering of sunbeams lit up spots upon them. Unable as he was to look down, it seemed like a different world entirely.
"There's nothing like this anywhere else," Fuuma commented casually. "Back when I had legs, I used to be a pilot. I'd take the miniplane up for hours, until I began running out of fuel. Those were the days."
"When was that?" Watanuki couldn't help but ask. He winced, hoping offense would not be taken. "I - I mean, miniplanes are - they aren't -”
Fuuma only chuckled. "I was younger than you are now," he said, "and it was almost an antique."
They lapsed into a more comfortable silence than before - if it could really be considered a silence over the din of the engine and very sounds of movement. Nothing was said, at least, and Watanuki did as asked and watched the mirrors and windshield for any sign of pursuit. For a while he saw nothing but the skyscape, which he was more than content to admire. But before long, jarring black dots could be seen in the rearview mirror, gradually getting larger as they closed in.
"There," he said, "there's someone behind us!"
"Bring her into the next gear down," Fuuma instructed Doumeki. "We'll need the engine power."
The engine roared louder than ever, about to put on a burst of speed, when Fai came bursting through the door from the other compartment. "The radar picked up a whole fleet of aircraft just ahead, coming toward us. We've got to dive, Fuuma." He pointed ahead, and sure enough the mass of dark shapes was starting to make itself apparent through the clouds.
"Oh, shit," replied Fuuma, and then the aircraft tipped toward the earth and plummeted down. For the second time Watanuki lost his balance, only preventing his smashing into the controls by grabbing onto the back of Doumeki's seat, which wasn't moving anywhere in a hurry. Doumeki himself paid very little attention, eyes locked on the controls in front of him. If nothing else did it, that would have clinched the severity of the situation in Watanuki's head; such an opportunity for ridicule was never passed up.
Looking back up, Watanuki felt his heart rocket into a speed much like that of the engine's. Above them were what looked like hundreds and hundreds of aircraft, all bearing down upon them like swarm of angry hornets. And just as he wondered how they could possibly evade capture, the sound of gunfire burst through the roar of the engine.
"They'll hit us," Doumeki said with dead certainty.
"Not yet, they won't," Fuuma replied, grinning recklessly and making a sudden swerve so that they face the huge mass of attackers. Before Watanuki could demand what was going on, the craft dipped sharply once more and they cut underneath their pursuers and away. "Hang on, you two," the pilot added. "It won't be a particularly smooth flight."
The craft sped along through cloud after cloud, and Watanuki's ears felt ready to drop off with expectancy. Any moment now…
The shot that rang out in the cloud was not what he had expected, though, and he turned to see a craft flying in from one side. There another was, coming from the other. The two craft closed in on their target, which swerved and escaped the next set of shots. Fuuma turned the speed up farther and they whizzed into the nearest cloud.
More gunshots tore through the engine's roar, this time from the rear. Then suddenly the cabin rocked, immediately succeeding a huge crash.
"We're hit!" Fuuma alerted the others, redundantly.
"Nothing major," Fai replied. "Nonetheless…" The rest of his sentence was lost as he disappeared once more into the second compartment.
There was another great crash, and then suddenly the scent of something burning. "Oh, shit," cursed Fuuma. "Hold tight, you two." But a third hit rocked the craft even more violently, and suddenly the air outside was screaming as they took an uncontrolled plunge. "We're going down!"
--
I feel that now would be a good time to explain a few things about the setting.
First off, this is a futuristic setting - but not as technologically advanced as some. Most energy is solar or wind powered, but there are still some older vehicles around that were made to take gas - though what they now use is MBF, or Modified Byproduct Fuel.
Secondly, the human population in this world is not nearly as great as on our Earth. In most of the word, the land outside of cities is largely wilderness. Whether this is simply because its inhabitants were wise about population growth, or sickness ran rampant, or if this is a post-apocalyptic world is a moot point thus far, so I'll let you come to your own conclusions.
And lastly, the existence of a form of local government is very, very unlikely. I'm edging toward a large council, something like a highly modified United Nations, that manages cooperation and steps in when great crisis is at hand but does not interfere a great deal. At any rate, the people who hold the power are the ones with the money or resources to command force - labour, military, or otherwise.
But, um. It is, as you may have noticed, a Thursday. And it just so happens that after about a month or so of FAILURE, I have a Code blue update for you. Specifically, the first chapter of Part III. I've been working on it on-and-off all week. And while it isn't much consolation for all that accidental hiatus, you'll notice that this chapter's a bit longer than the average chapter of Part I or II.
Title: Code Blue Part III (1/?)
Fandom:: xxxHOLiC
Wordcount: 2,759
Warnings: Violence.
A/N: Several questions are answered here. Several new ones are introduced. More importantly, the plot gains a few more expendable characters. And there is vaguely-explained technology.
Previous Chapters / Part I Beginning / Part II Beginning
Having escaped from Dr. Kyle and destroyed his manor/laboratory in the process, Watanuki and his acquired rescuer Doumeki set off back to the place to which the latter reports. They end up hitching a ride there from Doumeki's mentor/guardian Subaru, who for some reason seems troubled. It is revealed that Doumeki was not expected to return from his mission alive.
Though Doumeki trusts Subaru, Watanuki is suspicious of the whole situation. Doing some sneaking of his own, he discovers that a slightly unwilling Subaru and the head honcho, Sakurazuka Seishirou, are plotting the death of Doumeki. Watanuki runs off to find Doumeki, and while doing so discovers a room full of information files on various people, organisations, and occurrences. Here he discovers that Dr Kyle is related to Clow Reed and another man named Fei Wong Reed, who is the scientist behind Project LSD. In addition, Watanuki learns of Clow Reed's Projects, two mysterious entities that seem to be connected to both Kyle and Project LSD.
However, this knowledge is not enough to save Watanuki from the nefarious scheme already at hand - or so it would seem. Subaru seems eager for some reason to investigate Kyle's experiments that remain intact in Watanuki, and eventually elicits consent to do so - providing that both Watanuki and Doumeki go otherwise unharmed. The procedure is begun at once, under Seishirou's surveillance - but at the use of an anaesthetic needle, Watanuki is sent into another panic attack. He ends up injuring Subaru rather severely, which angers Seishirou quite a bit. Doumeki fortunately turns up at the right moment and he escapes with Watanuki in tow. With the help of an eccentric prisoner named Fuuma, they manage to escape the base altogether.
Outside, they are attacked by Seishirou's men, but a pair of mysterious strangers come to the rescue. When the dust has settled, Watanuki notices a great similarity between one of the strangers and the ghost woman who helped him out back at Kyle's.
Part III
Watanuki was bursting with questions, but managed to hold his tongue as their rescuers dealt with the collective damage and presented a most glorious meal. Considering that he had only suffered half a day without food, Watanuki didn’t think he should have been as hungry as he was - but his stomach didn’t listen to reason. He was content to sit and eat as introductions were made.
The man who’d spoken to them first on the hill was tall and broad-shouldered, obviously native Japanese like most of the people in this part of the world. He didn’t introduce himself at first, but glared meaningfully at his companion whenever the other man seemed about to do so.
The other man was definitely the more talkative of the two. He didn’t look native at all, with round blue eyes and messy blonde hair, exactly like the woman back at Kyle’s who had actually talked to Watanuki. He introduced himself as Fai and spoke cheerfully of nothing at all as he dispensed food among the masses. It was Fai who explained the more baffling elements of their rescue in slightly more baffling ways, like how aid had arrived (aircraft, about ten meters beyond yea rock) and how they had even known to come (magic).
Once the meal had been consumed - it didn’t take very long - Watanuki had planned to ask Fai a few questions concerning the sister that had to exist, but Fuuma beat him to it. “So how’s free life been treating you two?” he inquired lazily. “I notice there wasn’t a single ‘oh, hello, Fuuma old buddy!’ from either of you.” His face was completely free of malice, but Watanuki had to wonder again about the backstory here.
It was the larger man who replied. “We’ve traveled incognito enough to know when other people are,” he said. “It’s only Fuuma, then?”
Fuuma grinned. “Absolutely right, Kurogane.”
“How about you two?” Fai asked of the younger members of the party.
Watanuki had always been leery of his first name, and especially now that there were assuredly people after him. "I'm Watanuki," he said. "Thanks for helping us."
Doumeki gazed at the two newcomers for a long moment. "You know me," he said simply.
"So tell me, how'd you manage to subdue all of our pursuers?" Fuuma inquired, cutting Watanuki off once more before he could ask about the sister. "As I recall, there were more than a few. Enough to keep Shizuka here running, and that is saying something." He grinned at Doumeki, who only inclined his head the slightest amount to indicate that he'd heard.
In reply, Kurogane drew a small round metal object from his coat pocket. It did not glint in the dim daylight. Clinging to it was an acrid smell that struck a chord deep in the connections of Watanuki's memory. "This is how," the tall man said with the beginnings of a bloodthirsty smile. Not exactly sure why he was suddenly so intimidated, Watanuki edged away from that small sphere - directly into Doumeki's side. The ensuing irritation and embarrassment dispelled the unease, and when it was over the object was safely stowed in Kurogane's pocket once more.
"Gas bomb," Fai explained cheerfully. "Knocks 'em out, keeps 'em sick for a few days. It doesn't kill, though, so we need to get out of here before they report us to anyone." He winked. "We're all wanted men here, aren't we?"
"Except me," added Fuuma with a chuckle. "I'm unwanted."
There was a moment of silence that could have - would have - turned awkward very quickly, had Watanuki not had such a pressing question. "Fai, do you have a - ah, do you have a sister?"
The blonde man snorted. "Why? Like what you see?"
For a moment Kurogane's face grew stormy. "No! Th-that's not it at all!" exclaimed Watanuki; the taller man instantly calmed. "I just met a woman who looked exactly like you. She said she had a brother, and I thought - well, maybe it was…" He trailed off as Fai's face went deadly serious. "Was - is it you?"
Fai seemed to be choosing his words carefully. "I… don't have a sister," he said. "I have a brother. But as you can see, we are not the most masculine of men."
"She was a woman," Doumeki added. "But…she didn't have to always have been." He glanced at Watanuki as if unsure if this revelation was expected. "Kyle experimented."
All colour drained from Fai's face, and he winced dramatically. For Watanuki's part, this revelation was new but not shocking. But Fai, who had presumably not known about the location of his late twin - or the lateness of said twin - had not the same preconditioning for the revelation. "Kyle Reed had him?" he asked in a voice that shook.
"That bastard?" Kurogane added.
Watanuki wished that Doumeki hadn't said anything, although he knew that in the end they would have had to explain what had happened. But he could've been less blunt about it. This was poor Fai's brother that they were talking about. "I met her - him - when I was in Kyle's possession myself," Watanuki replied miserably. "He was the only other sane person there. And then, there was…" He trailed off, not wanting to even think about how Kyle had killed Fai's brother.
And it wasn't like he - or should it be she? - ze had really properly died. Watanuki had seen Fai's brother several times after ze had been killed, as a ghost. But after the explosion, there hadn't been a single spirit.
Doumeki, who by some unfair stroke of luck seemed to have caught on to Watanuki's train of thought, shook his head. "No one was left," he said quietly.
Fai seemed to understand, eyes going wide for a moment before he miraculously regained control of himself. "So Yuui is…"
"Dead," finished Doumeki. "He said to say goodbye to you."
"He did?" asked Fai in a voice that seemed dangerously close to cracking.
"He did?" demanded Watanuki, who had not been privy to this bit of information. When had Doumeki met Yuui? Since when did Doumeki see ghosts, anyway?
Kurogane stepped in at this point. He and Fuuma had been watching the exchange with no little concern; now he reached a hand to grasp Fai's shoulder. With a start, Watanuki realised that it wasn't flesh, but metal. A false arm.
"You know what this means," he said to Fai, a statement loaded with heavy meaning that was utterly lost on Watanuki. But apparently Fai did know, for he nodded in grim resolution. "We'll deal with that now," Kurogane continued, glancing at Fuuma.
"Kuro and I will be but a moment," said Fai in an overly bright tone for moment. But Kurogane did not comment at all about it, or the name which he apparently detested. The two walked off into the trees and out of sight.
"They'll be back," said Fuuma. "Fai and Yuui had a close connection. In a way that had nothing to do with human relationships." He seemed content to leave them with that explanation, leaning back against the rock. "But while they're gone, you two ought to fetch the aircraft. I don't think that staying here long would be a very good idea, given the circumstances."
"Let's go," said Doumeki, before Watanuki could say anything. "Fuuma's right."
"About ten meters beyond yea rock," Fuuma repeated lazily, gesturing at the appropriate piece of the landscape. "As I recall, it's aluminum and should be fairly light. The heavy stuff that normally flies in it is currently unloaded here, or off with Fai doing something of extreme importance."
Watanuki didn't think that Kurogane would have taken kindly to being referred to as dead weight, but Doumeki was pulling him off to go fetch the craft, and complaints took precedence over casual observances.
"I know where we're going!" Watanuki snapped at the unrelenting tug on his arm.
"News to me," replied Doumeki.
The aircraft was concealed cleverly under a tarp that was actually much the same colour as the surrounding earth. Whether this was due to careful doctoring or failure to wash, Watanuki had no idea - though he rather suspected the latter. At any rate, this did explain why Seishirou's seemingly uptight security had not yet found it. Underneath the tarp, the craft was a nondescript dirty gray, rusted in some places, though the faint odour of rust was mostly concealed by the stronger smell of gasoline. It was larger than Watanuki had suspected, though not nearly as large as the aircraft he had seen near the airstrip.
When they returned with it - the aircraft was as Fuuma had said surprisingly lightweight, incredibly easy to push - Kurogane and Fai had also rejoined Fuuma. Fai was looking just as carefree as ever. It was as if he had completely forgotten the news he had just received, or completely pulled through, but Watanuki had to wonder if that was really the case. Kurogane had not lost the worried frown.
They all helped loading the few supplies that had been pulled out - mostly food, and some boxes that looked likely to store weapons. And Fuuma, of course, who was for this point of time considered luggage according to Kurogane. Then they all wheeled it to the airstrip, and the rest of them climbed into what was actually a pretty comfortable space by Watanuki’s standards. There was more than enough room in the front for two people, and then there was another compartment which Fai disappeared into as soon as he’d climbed inside.
Kurogane eyed the door that his companion had disappeared into, frowning further. “Fuuma, you can fly this, right?”
“Well, mostly,” the legless man replied. “There’s just the issue of feet.”
“I’ll copilot,” Doumeki said. “I’ve flown something similar.”
“And me?” Watanuki demanded, not wanting to be useless yet again. “What can I do?”
Kurogane regarded him for a long moment, inscrutable. It was impossible to tell if he disapproved of Watanuki, or simply didn’t care one way or the other. Finally, he nodded. “Stay up front and watch the windows and mirrors. We don’t know if you’re gonna be chased or not.” He then turned and followed Fai into the other compartment, closing the door decisively behind him. His voice, muffled, was audible but unintelligible in the front - until Fuuma started the engine, which drowned out most sound.
“Hang on,” Fuuma advised cheerfully, and started the craft down the runway.
Presently Watanuki was able to clamber unsteadily to his knees, and set about staring out the windshield. He had never been in the air before. The sky, which had been uniformly gray and featureless from below, seemed a whole different entity at this height. Mountains and precipices of condensed water rose from the fluffy white masses that scudded across the sky, and from a few breaks in the topmost layer a smattering of sunbeams lit up spots upon them. Unable as he was to look down, it seemed like a different world entirely.
"There's nothing like this anywhere else," Fuuma commented casually. "Back when I had legs, I used to be a pilot. I'd take the miniplane up for hours, until I began running out of fuel. Those were the days."
"When was that?" Watanuki couldn't help but ask. He winced, hoping offense would not be taken. "I - I mean, miniplanes are - they aren't -”
Fuuma only chuckled. "I was younger than you are now," he said, "and it was almost an antique."
They lapsed into a more comfortable silence than before - if it could really be considered a silence over the din of the engine and very sounds of movement. Nothing was said, at least, and Watanuki did as asked and watched the mirrors and windshield for any sign of pursuit. For a while he saw nothing but the skyscape, which he was more than content to admire. But before long, jarring black dots could be seen in the rearview mirror, gradually getting larger as they closed in.
"There," he said, "there's someone behind us!"
"Bring her into the next gear down," Fuuma instructed Doumeki. "We'll need the engine power."
The engine roared louder than ever, about to put on a burst of speed, when Fai came bursting through the door from the other compartment. "The radar picked up a whole fleet of aircraft just ahead, coming toward us. We've got to dive, Fuuma." He pointed ahead, and sure enough the mass of dark shapes was starting to make itself apparent through the clouds.
"Oh, shit," replied Fuuma, and then the aircraft tipped toward the earth and plummeted down. For the second time Watanuki lost his balance, only preventing his smashing into the controls by grabbing onto the back of Doumeki's seat, which wasn't moving anywhere in a hurry. Doumeki himself paid very little attention, eyes locked on the controls in front of him. If nothing else did it, that would have clinched the severity of the situation in Watanuki's head; such an opportunity for ridicule was never passed up.
Looking back up, Watanuki felt his heart rocket into a speed much like that of the engine's. Above them were what looked like hundreds and hundreds of aircraft, all bearing down upon them like swarm of angry hornets. And just as he wondered how they could possibly evade capture, the sound of gunfire burst through the roar of the engine.
"They'll hit us," Doumeki said with dead certainty.
"Not yet, they won't," Fuuma replied, grinning recklessly and making a sudden swerve so that they face the huge mass of attackers. Before Watanuki could demand what was going on, the craft dipped sharply once more and they cut underneath their pursuers and away. "Hang on, you two," the pilot added. "It won't be a particularly smooth flight."
The craft sped along through cloud after cloud, and Watanuki's ears felt ready to drop off with expectancy. Any moment now…
The shot that rang out in the cloud was not what he had expected, though, and he turned to see a craft flying in from one side. There another was, coming from the other. The two craft closed in on their target, which swerved and escaped the next set of shots. Fuuma turned the speed up farther and they whizzed into the nearest cloud.
More gunshots tore through the engine's roar, this time from the rear. Then suddenly the cabin rocked, immediately succeeding a huge crash.
"We're hit!" Fuuma alerted the others, redundantly.
"Nothing major," Fai replied. "Nonetheless…" The rest of his sentence was lost as he disappeared once more into the second compartment.
There was another great crash, and then suddenly the scent of something burning. "Oh, shit," cursed Fuuma. "Hold tight, you two." But a third hit rocked the craft even more violently, and suddenly the air outside was screaming as they took an uncontrolled plunge. "We're going down!"
--
I feel that now would be a good time to explain a few things about the setting.
First off, this is a futuristic setting - but not as technologically advanced as some. Most energy is solar or wind powered, but there are still some older vehicles around that were made to take gas - though what they now use is MBF, or Modified Byproduct Fuel.
Secondly, the human population in this world is not nearly as great as on our Earth. In most of the word, the land outside of cities is largely wilderness. Whether this is simply because its inhabitants were wise about population growth, or sickness ran rampant, or if this is a post-apocalyptic world is a moot point thus far, so I'll let you come to your own conclusions.
And lastly, the existence of a form of local government is very, very unlikely. I'm edging toward a large council, something like a highly modified United Nations, that manages cooperation and steps in when great crisis is at hand but does not interfere a great deal. At any rate, the people who hold the power are the ones with the money or resources to command force - labour, military, or otherwise.