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Keith Kogane is on the brink of death, laying by the banks of a river under a bridge. Determined to keep living despite the hateful comments of his past orphanage to him, he resolves to rob the next man he sees. Almost immediately, he sees a man floating down the river and ends up saving Takashi “Shiro” Shirogane from a comical attempt on his own life. Noticing the hunger of the boy, he invites him to eat at the expense of his partner, James Griffin.
While chatting, they came across the topic of their careers. The pair acknowledge that they were of the Armed Detective Agency , a renowned group of private eyes armed with supernatural powers for cases too dangerous for the likes of the police.
Griffin questions Keith if he had seen a black lion roaming around the town recently, inducing a response of fear on the part of the boy. Keith panics, claiming that the black lion had been following him for the past two weeks and was out for his blood. In the end, Shiro takes him to a warehouse to apparently lure out the beast.
While waiting, Shiro remains calm throughout the hour, whilst Keith is convinced that the lion had arrived and was stalking the shelves of the building. Keeping a cool face, Shiro states that Keith had seen the lion for two weeks and had seen the beast for the same amount of time that multiple accounts had traced back to. He had also been in the same towns as the lion, revealing that Keith himself had a skill and could transform into the creature under the light of the full moon, not unlike a werewolf. When he transforms and attempts to attack him unconsciously, Shiro harnesses his own skill and stops him.
When Keith wakes up, he finds himself surrounded by most of the Agency, where Keith reveals him and recruits him to the Agency, much to his confusion.
At first, he refused to join, because Keith thought he is not suited for this kind of work. But after accident with a bomb in the Agency’s office, what turned out to be exam for Keith to the Armed Detective Agency, he decided to give it a chance. Not like he had a choice, anyway.
Soon, Agency find out about the bounty on Keith’s head and he, Matt Holt (one of the detectives) and Anne Sebun were attacked by Olkari’s gangsters called Port Mafia. The Mafia’s Hell Hound Lotor and his subordinate Acxa left them be after Shiro’s appearance. Lotor did that due to the respect to his teacher. Takashi Shirogane…Ex member of Port Mafia.
Our story continues soon after that accident…
“What are you looking at?”
Cell phone rings.
“What can you see?”
People walks to their business in the main street of Olkari. The light of the dim evening lights reflects from the bright windows.
-Are you waiting for someone, little girl?
Two passers-by heard the ringing and turned to the source of the sound. The young girl stood in a dark alley, looking around the bright street in search.
-You, I think I saw you here yesterday too, -the other man questing. -Have you been standing here since then?
She stood still.
-Maybe you are just a doll, -man kept talking to her. –Ah, you just blinked.
The girl's appearance really makes her look like a doll. It is not surprising that passers-by mistook her for such.
The girl is of medium height with long wavy white hair tied in two low ponytails with hairpins in the form of a flower similar to a lily. She wears a blue Kimono with pattern of what looks like sprouts, and its pink Datejime neatly tied. She have on long white socks and sandals; while on her arms, she appears to wear pink and blue wrist pads. But the most notable trait of her is very dull, lifeless eyes.
The girl notices something, and suddenly walks away.
-Whoa! –the man gasp. –She moves!
The girl comes out of the alley and confidently walks into the middle of the street. The mysterious girl grabs the sleeve of a passerby, who happens to be…
-Huh? –Shiro asks. –Me?
-Found you, -The girl takes her still-ringing cell phone, with a keychain in the form of a mouse, in her hand and finally answers.
The dim light goes out from the street. Instead, it filled with darkness. People’s gasps around girl and Shiro.
Mysterious girl used her supernatural ability. Purple ribbons swirls around her illuminating her with a soft light, but to everyone around her, the light is terrifying. The huge shadow looms over Shiro.
-…!This isn’t good. –he gasps.
In the Detective Agency…
-Shiro’s gone missing? -Griffin asks.
-He’s not answering on his phone, and he hasn’t returned to the dorm, either, -Keith answers.
Keith Kogane is new come up member of Armed Detective Agency. He's just above average height and has pale skin. Keith has black-blue hair cut into some sort of mullet (the antics of children from the orphanage), and dark indigo eyes, what reflects deep blue night sky. He wears red button up with the sleeves pushed to his elbows, a loose black tie, black pants, black, fingerless gloves, and a suspenders/belt combo with a long stretch of the belt dangling loose from the buckle.
However, one of the members of agency is missing, others seems very calm about it. Griffin is writing his report. Hunk examines the plant in his hands at the table behind Griffin. And the main detective- Lance McClain is sitting with his back to them and Keith, looking out the window
-He’s just floating in some river again. –Griffin continues calmly taping on his laptop.
-Or he could be in the prison this time. –Hunk adds, never take a look from aloe in his hands.
-My guess would be that he went off somewhere with men, -Lance asserts looking on the street.
-But it’s true he’s targeted by Port Mafia, -Keith babbles. He knew that others Detectives has low opinion about Shiro, because of his stupid and insane suicide mania. Especially, his partner James Griffin. But he didn’t know it is this low. – It could be that…
-That man’s ability to sense danger and stay alive approaches nightmarish proficiency, -Griffin protests.
-Just think about how he’s as healthy as can be despite so many suicide attempts, -Hunk agrees.
-I doubt the Mafia alone will be enough to get the better of him, -Lance explains chewing on his chips.
-But…-Keith mumbles.
-I’ll go look at it. –the voice speaks.
Everybody turned to the owner of the voice. That was not other than Matt Holt.
-Are you all better now, Matt? –Keith asked surprised and delighted.
-Yes, thankfully.
Keith remembers the things that happened yesterday. Port Mafia’s attack...Matt stabbed in the back with a black sting…Coughing of Mafia’s Hell’s Hound- Lotor…
-I was really worried when it all happened, -Keith says with relief. –I’m relived you are okay.
-I’m sorry I worried you, -Matt scratches the back of his head and comes closer to the group.
-So you are finally recovered. –Griffin notes.
-It’s all thanks to Dr. Holt’s treatment. –he smiles.
-So how many times did she get you? –Griffin asks and smile washing out from Matt’s face replacing it with horror.
Matt recoiling in his head memory of the times on Dr. Holt’s table.
His restraining against the table. Katie Holt taking off her blouse and her devilish sly laugh.
-F-F-Four hours… -Matt falters and squats down. Keith looks at him confused.
-That many… -Hunk says dreamy, sniffing the plant.
-Keith, -Matt stammers. -As long as you remain in the Agency, remember to never get injured.
-Okay…
-If you think you’re at any risk, run. –Keith turned to Lance. –You should cultivate your ability to sense danger on a daily baseness. –he took out his watch. –For example, ten seconds from now…
Katie “Pidge” Holt emerges from the infirmary, leisurely stretching out her arms.
Despite, she and Lance are the oldest in the agency, you can’t say right away, because of Katie’ small height. But it gave her sophistication.
She has brown hair, shimmering red, trimmed under the square and parted on the left side. Her piercing hazel eyes looks straight into the soul of her patients and victims. Katie wears a pale green button up blouse with puffy sleeves that end in the middle of her forearm. Her shirt is tucked into a plain black skirt that flares out above the knee. She wears gloves that reach past her wrist, a black tie, and black tights. Holt wears red high heels and blue glasses nest above on her head.
-Oh, Dt. Holt. –Keith greets. –Good morning.
-Oh, Keith. Are you hurt anywhere?
-Oh, I’m fine.
-Darn, -she grimaces.
-Darn? –Keith now is even more confused than before. What is wrong with all of them?
-I was hoping to have someone come with me on the shopping trip, -Holt looks around the room. –But I guess you’re the only one around.
-What?
Keith turns around in surprise, only to find that Griffin, Hunk, Lance and Matt had disappeared.
“Is that what he meant by the ability to sensing danger?”- Keith thinks to himself.
Pidge walks along happily with Keith few paces behind her, carrying a mountain of shopping.
-D-Dr. Holt, you’re still not done? -Keith’s voice breaks into the slight panic.
-Don’t you are drop anything, -Holt threatens.
Keith almost tripped but managed to keep his balance, but in the next moment…
A young girl in Kimono passes by Keith. Her white braided in ponytails hair swayed to the beat of her steps, but it seemed to him as if they were blown by the wind along with the Sakura petals. Their eyes meet for a brief moment before she passes by completely.
-What the hell do you think you’re doing? –the man up ahead arguing on his phone. –You good-for-nothing! Hurry up and send my car over!
Unable to take his eyes off her, Keith keeps walking until he bumps into a middle-aged man dressed in a suit.
-Whoa! –Keith drops the mountain of shopping he was carrying, and middle-aged man falls over. –Ow…U-Um, are you okay? -he asks worried.
-What’s the meaning of this, you little twit? –the man barks at Keith. –This is a costume-made suit from a European brand.
-S-Sorry, -Keith mumbled.
Katie kneels down as Keith is sitting on the floor. She dusted off the man’s pants.
-I’m very sorry. Were you hurt?
-Don’t touch me! –the man smacked away her hand. –I’ll be lodging a complaint with your employer! Hey, what’s your job? –he bent over Pidge. –Are you a tea server? A receptionist? –the man grabbed her by her chin. –Or perhaps you’re something a little more specialized?
-Hmm, -Holt grabbed his hand and began to squeeze his fingers. Suddenly she twists the man’s arm and wrenches it upwards.
-Ow!
-I’m a doctor, you pervert, -she stands up and looks straight at the man with diabolical grin on her face. –Oh? You have two arms…That’s way too many. Would you like me to take one off?
The crunch of knuckles echoed through the Mall. So as pervert’s screams…
Dr. Holt and Keith is sitting together on the subway train.
-I’m sorry about…-Keith apologizes. –Um…earlier, –he looks up at the luggage shelves. –The packages are in sorry state, too.
-Nothing to be sorry about, - Holt simply says. –By the way…
She suddenly lifts up Keith’s right leg and rolls up his trousers. He falls on the couch in shock.
“What? Is this punishment?”- Keith thinks.
-Hmm, nice leg. – Pidge strokes his leg as she is trying to figure something out. –I heard your leg was bitten off by the Port Mafia, when Matt got injured.
Rashomon. Lotor’s special ability. Takes on a form of a shadow-like beast made up of what seems to be dark matter, drawn from inter-dimensional or other similar sources. It can consume anything, even space itself. Once the space is split, guns or fire cannot hurt Lotor.
“Not sighs of scaring or fusion…-Katie wonders to herself. –It’s more of a restoration than a regeneration. The lion did this instantly?
-Um… -Holt glances out of the corner of her eye at the terrified Keith. -Is there a problem?
-Oh, -she let go off his leg and it starts swaying in the air. –I’m just sad I couldn’t treat you.
Keith got back into sitting position. Pidge keeps talking:
-But there is no reprieve next time for you.
-What? –he looks at her confused.
-The Mafia are known for surprise attacks. You should be watch yourself at night. You never know when they might strike next.
“That’s right,” -Keith admitted to himself. –“I’m their prime target. I should know how to protect myself on my own”.
Just then, the PA system chimes, indicating that someone was about to make an announcement.
“Testing, testing. This is your train conductor,” -the voice chuckled. –“We apologies for inconvenience, but we will now conduct a minor physic experiment!”
Keith, Holt and the passengers heed to the voice in try to figure out what is going on. The “conductor” tells:
“The topic: Evaluation of Explosive Reaction and Sensory Response in a Non-Inertial Reference Frame. The test subjects will be our current passengers! We greatly appreciate your cooperation!”
-So, without further ado, -the man behind the PA system grins, exited. –please, listen to this!
As he says it, an explosion rings out. The train is shaking along with passengers.
“Maybe two or three of you already died from that one?”-the man guessed. –“But that will pale in comparison to next one! We’ve rigged enough explosives in the front and back cars to blow everyone clear to moon!” – the man in the white cloak speaks through the PA. Conductor is laying on the ground under man shoe, dead.
“Now, test subject Keith,” -Keith lifts his head, hearing his name from the comms. –“Unless, you surrender yourself, all passengers will go straight to heaven, much less than moon!”
-But…-Keith says terrified.
-Speak of the devil…-Dr. Holt gets up from her seat and grabs her medicine bag. With her back to Keith.
-Wh-What should we do?
-Option one, turn yourself in. Option two, jump off this running train with several dozen passengers to escape. Option three…-she looks at him over her shoulder with assuring smile.
-Beat them up. –Keith adds.
-Excellent. After all, we are the Armed Detective Agency.
He gathered all his strength and stood up along with Holt, waiting for her orders.
-Okay, Keith. Let’s split up and look for the bombs, -she looks up ahead. -I’ll take the front. You take the rear!
-What if we run into the enemy?
-Terminate with extreme prejudice! -Pidge walks to the front door of the car. He hesitates a little.
-Roger! –then Keith runs into his direction.
“A bomb threat,” –Katie reasons as she go straight to the front car. The passengers running past her in panic. –“on a train with civilian passengers, in broad daylight…That’s tantamount to suicide. Even for the Port Mafia, this plan is pretty bold…Or, rather, obsessive. I wonder, who is behind this”.
The moment Holt moved to the carriage ahead, a single toy in shape of triangle robot rolled towards her feet.
Then the toy explodes.
Katie lays motionless on the floor of the train, which was now teeming with smoke from the explosion.
-Our warmest welcome to the decisive lady from the Detective Agency, -the man in white cloak speaks. –and our most regretful farewell!
-Well, well… -Holt forces herself to her feet. –If it isn’t a celebrity we’ve got here.
-Ah, you’re alive? –the criminal exclaims. –What a surprise. Ladies are so resilient these days.
Holt staggers upright, her clothes and face covered in deep bloody cuts and bruises.
-It is an era of equal rights for men and women, -she spits. –From where I stand, it’s a greatest surprise to find a wanted criminal like you in a place like this. Atkin Haxus!
Pidge is observing him. White cloak with a shirt underneath. Short purple baggy pants. Sandals on his feet. A purple scarf is tied around his neck and bright yellow ski goggles covers most of his face, but there is no doubt, this is him.
Port Mafia operative. Atkin Haxus. Ability: Robot Bomb.
-While be a member of the secretive Port Mafia, -Katie explains. –You are surprisingly well-known terrorist bomber…In the recent Marizen Building Bomb Incident, you killed 28 civilians.
-That was most wonderful, -Haxus says with a smile. Then he turns away from her and starts act like, he is telling about the most famous art in full ecstasy. -The slowing of the pulse, the hypoxia of neurons! Lactic acidosis…Death is the collective music of infinite changes in states! Ah, then comes irreversible death…
-So you are saying death is an experiment? –Holt asks with disgust. A wide trickle of blood is running between her right ear and eye.
-Science, in its ultimate form, is God and death…Both exist and cannot be overcome by science. That is why we are drown to them…So, -Huxus turns to Katie with a maniacal fire in his eyes. –What color is your blood?
The blood runs under her hairline and down her temples. It’s dripping out of right corner of her mouth. Despite this, Pidge says brazenly and confidently:
-See for yourself.
Keith heads in the opposite direction of the freeing passengers, towards the back of the train.
“If we can’t remove these bombs, these people will die,”-Keith thinks, slightly panicking. –“But can I do this?”
He is opening the door of next car. Just then, a young girl dressed in a kimono runs past Keith and heads for the back of the train.
-Hey, -Keith warns her. But she has run forward. –Don’t go that way! There’s a bomb!
The girl stopped on her tracks with her back to him.
-Please, go back to the center car. –Keith pleads. -There’s bomb in the rear car…
In this moment the girl’s cell phone rings and she immediately puts it to her ear.
-Um, you?
-Your duty is to protect the bomb at any costs, -the cold voice from the phone says.
Then, the girl turns to Keith. Two white ponytails, blue-pink kimono. Those eyes…She has segmental heterochromia, consisting of purple with blue along the bottom curve of her pupil. He can’t forget those eyes.
-You’re…-Keith remembers. –You’re the one I saw…
-Use your ability White Demon, -the voice speaks again. –to kill anyone who interference.
The car begin to fill with dark light. Purple ribbons swirls around the girl.
-What? –Keith surprises.
White Demon’s nightmarish doll-like form materializes with its katana in hand, taking the place next to the girl.
Port Mafia Assassin. Allura Altea. Ability: White Demon.
Keith stares at the girl and figure behind her in shock. In this moment, White Demon pulls its katana from its sheath. The blade impales Keith through the stomach with the speed of a lightning bolt.
Keith writhers on the floor after being launched backward and smacked into the door behind him. It cut him in several places. The blood spills from his body.
Keith gets onto his knees, holding his right side. Blood dripping from the left corner of his mouth. He snarls at the threat in front of him.
At the other end of the train, Holt lays battered on the floor, among the shards of glass. Her medicine bag lying at her feet. Haxus’s diabolical laugh fills the train.
-Shred your enemies, White Demon, -the voice from the phone commands.
White Demon opens her katana once again and rains a barrage of thrusts with blinding speed upon Keith, who is charging forward to attack with a battle cry. Keith somehow stops himself, but White Demon moves to strike again.
Two arching slashes from the katana happened too quickly for Keith’s eyes to follow, and he did not even know he had been hit.
-“Sh…She’s too strong!” –Keith thinks in the last second, before Demon put its katana in sheath and Keith screaming in pain as the fountain of blood bursts from the wounds on his chest.
-“Wh-Why?”-Keith is hit a second time before even having a chance to fight back. Blood sprays everywhere as the train doors get blown away by the shockwave of White Demon’s attack. –“Why would a girl like you…”
The girl approaches Keith, who is lying bloody and beaten, and begins speaking in a monotone voice.
-My name is Allura, an orphan like you, -the pale figure of White Demon is standing behind her waiting for next order. -I like mice and milkshakes. I hate dogs and lightning. After being taken in by the Port Mafia, I killed 35 people in six months.
Keith terrifies.
-Protect the bomb, -the damned voice speaks again. –and kill everyone who interferes.
White Demon’s eyes begin to glow eerily at the sound of Lotor’s voice.
Haxus punches Pidge in the chest.
-Ngh…
Holt lays dying on the floor. Haxus stand over her, mercilessly stomping down on her stomach.
-The Agency is not as formidable as I’ve heard. Oh, well…So you’re about to die, but tell me this before you do: What does it mean to die? –he draws a knife from his pocket.
-What did you say? –Katie’s eyes goes wide.
-Oh, it’s just a scholarly interested. I’m an avid researcher, you see, –Haxus explains as he throwing knife in the air, toying with it. –All the reasons for human death, including hypoxia of neurons in the brain and telomere degradation, are simple and reversible processes in laboratory settings. Yet, why is death irreversible? Why must all humans die?
-You don’t even know why? –Holt laughs and Haxus stops playing and narrows his eyes at her. –So the Mafia aren’t so formidable after all…
-You claim that someone who’s a meddling private eye, -he pushes his shoe harder on her body. –would know something what I, a seeker of science, don’t?
-Sure I would. –Katie smiles. -The reason for that is simple. You’re just an idiot.
Haxus slams his knife into her left hand, pining it to the floor.
-Ngaaah…!
-Thank you for your valuable opinion. –he sneers. –I think you would know this, being well-read and all…- A large number of robot bombs pour from Haxus’s sleeve and land around Holt. –but even after the body dies from blood loss the brain and conscious mind are said to survive for eight hours. –he moves towards the next carriage as he speaks. –Afterward, I’ll ask your corpse this: “You’re dead now. How do you feel?” Well, take your time.
Pidge tries to remove the knife before any of the bombs go off, but it is firmly stuck into the floor of the train. She finally tears it free, just as toy bombs all explode in unison…
The train shakes in another explosion as Keith staggering up to his knees.
“-It’s impossible,” -Keith is shaking. –“I can’t win. Am I going to die here?”
Hearing the sound of a quiet door sliding open, he looks behind him. A number of passengers from the next carriage were watching with terror on their faces.
“Are people going to die again because of me?”-Keith asks himself. –“Just because they on the same train as me? Just for that simple reason, they will all die…”
“-That is your karma, werelion.”
“-You will cause ill for everyone around you, just by being alive. –Lotor says, burning Keith with a look.”
“-Get out, you good-for-nothing! –director of Keith’s orphanage yells at him.
-The world would be a better place if you’d just die in the ditch somewhere! –the woman by his director side snaps.
-We don’t need worthless louts! -people behind them yeeling. “
“Ten years old Keith desperately cries.
-Why are you even alive? –director swings a hand at him and gives him a slap in the face with all his strength. Keith falls on the floor. –You accomplish nothing, and inconvenience and misfortune for everyone around you. Those who can save no one do not deserve to live.”
Keith drowns deep into his memories as he like standing near the younger self and living through all of this again.
-“Just then, an idea popped into my head,” - he returns back into reality from these nightmarish memories. –“It was a stupid idea. But I couldn’t shake it off. If I…”- he looks at the passengers behind him. – “If I could save them…the passengers here…If I could get them back safe and sound to their homes…Wouldn’t that mean…”
The train covered in the smoke from the bombs, exits the tunnel into the surface, on the sun light.
-“That I…-Keith straightens to his full height and with a resolute expression looks at Allura and the White Demon. The bright light from train’s windows showers them. –“Wouldn’t that mean it’s okay for me to live?”
Blood drips from his hairline to Keith’s left ear. Under the same eye, a deep scratch and a thin trickle of blood flows from the right corner of the mouth to the chin.
-Stay away, -Allura says and looking down, as her Demon opening the scabbard.
-Sorry. I can’t do this anymore! –Saying this, Keith charges forth to attack White Demon, but her razor-sharp katana rains down upon him.
Keith manages to avoid the blows at the last moment, but soon finds himself being pressed back. It grabs the blade with two hands lifts her arms to make the deadliest blow.
-“She’s too fast…”-the dollish figure stares at Keith. –“I guess I can’t do this after all. If I could only use my ability…”
The White Demon unleashes her katana on him.
Haxus returns to the carriage that his robot bombs decimated. Dust from explosion covering the walls. Pieces of stuffing are coming out of the blue new seats and the acrid smell of gunpowder filled the air.
-All right, -he voices. –I wonder if she is nice and cooked all the way through now.
Then, Haxus notices Pidge. The interior of the carriage was charred. Katie’s body was half-hanging out one of the train’s left windows.
-Ooh. Hohoho, let’s see, -Haxus goes over to inspect Holt’s death, looking at her with triumphant smirk on his face…
Suddenly, the seemingly dead body of her explodes into the movement; the wind blows her hair furiously. Surprised expression appears on Haxus face as Holt slams a heavy fist into his face. He lands on seats on opposite window. The blood spurts from his nose and the bruise is forming on his left cheek.
-Hmm, that was underwhelming. –Pidge disappoints. –I was hoping you’d go fly a bit farther.
-H-How?-Haxus stammers.
-That little sparkler wouldn’t kill me, -she grabs him by the scarf and kneads her left hand with crust. –Whish side did I punch on you just now?
-I-I-I-If I had to choose, -his hand shakily rises to his right cheek. –Maybe this side?
Katie proceeds to hammer a fist into his other cheek. Haxus flies across the carriage and collapses on the floor in disbelief. He loses some teeth in the process.
-Impossible! –for the first time when all this started he is scared as hell. –You were on the brink of death just before!
-I may not look like it, but I’m a doctor, -Holt approaches Haxus. The sound of her red heels echoed through the carriage. –I’ve seen a hundred times more death than you, at the very least.
Haxus is shaking on the floor. He recoiled with a squeak as Holt stamped her foot with a loud sound.
-What’s death, you ask? Let me tell you...-she utters. –Death is a loss of life. No matter how hard we doctors try, our patient’s lives just slip through our fingers…-Pidge slowly rises her hand and forms it into the fist. –Death, the ultimate form of science? –she screams. –What a load! I’ll kill anyone who doesn’t value life!
-I…I remember now… -Haxus mumbles. –So you’re Armed Detective Agency’s physician, Katie Holt…
-My ability, Thou Shalt Not Die, can cure any wounds. –Holt slightly he lifts her slashed skirt to reveal ripped pantyhose. –Even my own wounds as you can see. –She grabs her medicine bag and opening it. Katie takes large cleaver and throws it on her shoulder. –But the necessary conditions are harsh. It can only cure lethal injuries. What an inconvenient ability. –she drops her bag revealing what it was full of axes and knifes of any kind. –If I want to cure moderate injuries, I have to half kill my patient first, -Pidge turns to him with one of her devilish smiles.
-Eek! –Haxus squeaks.
-Oh? –her shadow is looming over him as he shaking terribly. –You’re hurt, aren’t you, boy? Would you like me to treat you?
Katie swings her cleaver at him. Haxus screams filling the carriage.
White Demon strikes down with all her might, but Keith blocks the blade with his left arm, which transformed into that of the lion. His supernatural beast arm was harder that the katana, which bounced off harmlessly even to Keith’s surprise.
-“This is is...”
Keith pushes forward dropping katana from his arm. The Demon makes lunges a blade with lightning speed, but he evades all her attacks. After the last, he bounced back.
Then, Keith rushes forward and breaks White Demon’s katana with his hand. The blade sticks in the iron handrail. He pounces, closing the distance and lightly pressing the claws of his left hand to Allura’s throat.
-“It’s over”.
-My name is Allura, - she doesn’t’ show any reaction to the clawed hand held to her throat. –I’ve killed 35 people.
Keith straightens up, his arm still in place. The girl doesn’t seem to be bothered about everything around her. Allura doesn’t resist at all.
-Where’s the bomb? –Keith asks her sternly.
-My last victims were a family of three, -she used the same monotone voice. – a father, a mother, and a boy. White Demon slit their throats.
Allura opens the front of her kimono.
-What have you done?! - Keith looks at her shocked. Strapped to her chest was an explosive device. –Who are you? I can’t feel any emotions in your words, or even in you, yourself. You’re like a killing machine. –Keith’s voice is trembling. –If you feel anything, you should put it into words. Otherwise, an idiot like me won’t get it, - he breaks into a scream. –Is something like this what you really want to do?!
Allura barely noticed winces.
A static-filled announcement sounds throughout the train.
-“This is the train conductor’s office. Keith! You still breathing?” –Pidge speaks through the comms.
-Dr. Holt? –he turns to the voice.
-According to the weak-ass bomber here, -Katie looks at freshly healed Haxus, who is sparkled like a just washed dish, lying on the floor with stupid smile on his face. -your bomb has remote detonator. If you make one mistake trying to defuse it, it’ll explode in the matter of seconds.
-“You’ll have to use the remote,” -Keith listens to her attentively. –“detonator’s stop button to deactivate it. The Mafia agent there should have it”.
-Do you have it? –he turns to Allura and extends his hand towards her. –Give it to me.
For the first time, Keith sees expression on her face, a sad one. The light shines in her eyes as she lifts her look at him. Allura places a small box-shaded remote in Keith’s hand.
He sighs with relief, before he presses the stop button and…everything goes wrong.
The moment he does, the activation light on explosive strapped to Allura’s chest, beeps and begins to flash. The girl scares.
-What? –Keith gasps.
-You pressed the button, Allura? –Lotor’s tired voice speaks through girl’s phone. –Deactivating the bomb is unnecessary. Die along with the passengers and show the hapless masses that the Port Mafia should be feared.
-Take the bomb off! –Keith closing the distance between him and Allura and tries to take the devise off her chest.
-“How much do we have left?!” –he thinks in panic.
-There’s no time! –Allura shouts as she is like reading his thoughts.
-What?
Allura shows Keith backward to wall of the train.
-“I’m an idiot after all…”-Keith concludes to himself. –“I realized, once her slender arms pushed me…” -she stands with her back to the opening that White Demon caused. Wind blowing Allura’s ponytails. –“that her ability is always activated by a voice from her cell phone. She is unable to control her own ability,” –Keith winces at the realization.
-My name is Allura. I’ve killed 35 people, -she looks at him with tears in her eyes and screams: -I don’t want to kill anyone else!
Keith gasps as Allura throws herself from the door of the train, that had been blown away.
The train happened to be passing over a bridge. Allura plummets towards the ocean with explosive still strapped to her chest.
Without hesitation, Keith also leaps from the train, his legs now transformed into that of the lion.
He grabs a hold of Allura in a mid-air as she falls, tearing the explosive from her chest with his beast-powered arms.
Their eyes meet for a brief moment, and then Keith hugs her, protecting from a blow. It explodes soon after and he and Allura plummet into the ocean.
Leaning out of the window of the train, Pidge watches the events that unfold.
-Keith! –she screams.
Keith somehow drags himself onto the shore with Allura in his arms. He collapses onto his knees and breathing deeply. The girl wakes up and immediately begin coughing, spitting out water from her lungs. She lies on the concrete surface and greedily gasping for air.
A look of relief overcomes Keith when he confirms that Allura is okay.
The girl gets on her knees and turns to him. For a moment, she just watching at him as Keith gives her a soft look. The stare at each other for a while.
-Umm…-Allura’s attempt to speak fell on unconscious ears, as Keith had passed out from the exhaustion right onto her knees.
Allura gases surprised at the side of Keith’s unconscious face and listening to his breathing.
The call on her cell phone had been cut, all that could be heard now the busy signal.
Lotor pressing the button on his cell phone and closing it.
-No matter how powerful it may be, a pawn is just a pawn…-Against the wall in front of him was Shiro, bonded in chains. In the brown stone dungeon, captured by the Port Mafia. –What about you? Are you a pawn or master? –Lotor stands up from stairs and walks to the wall. –Or are a pawn who is waiting to be crushed?
Shiro’s lips slowly spread out into a sly smile.