[FIC] Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? (pt 13)

[dd]

The siren blared and the light on top of the car spun, paining the nearby buildings with light.

Mr. Smith had kept certain items from his day on the police force. Technically, he shouldn’t be using them, regardless of the emergency condition. That didn’t matter to him now. Ayame was in danger. There might be nothing he could do to help her, but he could get them all at the scene as fast as possible.

It wasn’t going to be an easy drive. The traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge had been light, but they ran into delays in the Lower East Side and Midtown. They were passing by the Central Park area now, but still had a ways to go to reach Fort Tryton Park.

“She’s just got to be alright Sousuke. She has to. That can’t be the last conversation I had with her. It CAN’T!” Kaname was more worried than Sousuke had ever seen her.

“We can only hope, Kaname. The police will be on the scene, and they are good at what they do. Agencies will arrive as soon as they can, and we can only hope that they will facilitate matters, not take things into their own hands.” Sousuke held Kaname’s hand. “The Homeland Defense initiatives should bear some fruit, and anti-terrorist forces may be available.”

“None of THAT matters, Sousuke. We have the only ant-terrorist force we need, right here.” Kaname turned big eyes up at Sousuke. “I KNOW that you’ll save her.”

Kaname did not feel her love for Sousuke at that moment, because she was thinking about Sousuke the fighter, not Sousuke the person. All that she could see was his history of success, not the things that were responsible for his remarkable results. He had told her about some of his mission failures, but they were in the past and would remain there.

Her mind had also been awash with pictures and memories of Ayame. Fun times. Special times. Memorable milestones and moments. She couldn’t bear it if something happened to her sister.

Other things had crossed her mind too, things of little or no consequence at the moment. This could be a chance for Sousuke to prove his worth to her father.

“Kaname….” Oichi tried once again to settle Kaname down.

“No! Sousuke can do it. I know he can. He can do anything.” Kaname squeezed Sousuke’s hand to the point of pain.

“We should not rush to any judgment, Kaname. At least, not until we reach The Cloisters. This is not a Mithril operation. I have no jurisdiction. There is a high likelihood that we won’t even be able to get close to the site. And, if operations are in full swing, I may get in the way of the force with the most resources available.” Sousuke decided that he would be honest and realistic, no matter how Kaname might react.

Sousuke was a realist when he had time to think, rather than be forced with a situation that required immediate action. His heart went out to Kaname and Ayame, but he realized all to well that he was not a superhero or comic book avenger. There was a reason he did so well. His good fortune in battle came through superior equipment… excellent planning… and superb team cooperation. Luck played a role, but not a major one. His skill was a deciding factor, but only when it could be properly utilized.

“Sousuke’s right. We wouldn’t want him to rush in and get injured for nothing. He might even be mistaken for a terrorist himself, given that bag of his. Sometimes you just have to trust in the people with a job to do. It’s not easy to simply sit back and have faith… but, sometimes that is the only alternative.” Oichi was terribly worried, but had a good head in a crisis.

She had memories of her own raise their ugly head. Her mother’s illness. The long road to diagnosis, and the terrible smothering blanket of truth. Painful struggles for her mother and her family. Eventual recovery. It had been hard to stand by helpless, unable to do anything that made a difference physically. But, she had learned important lessons then, and knew the value of offering emotional support and stability.

“It is not for nothing. It’s for Ayame!” Kaname’s face scrunched up in a scowl. “You called in to inform Mithril. As far as I’m, concerned, that makes it a Mithril mission. Right now, YOU’RE Mithril, Sousuke.” Her look dared him to contradict her.

“I called, Kaname. I reported the facts that we have, which are nothing more than the media is providing. They made no mention of activity on their part. I have not been given permission to engage, or orders to do the same.” Sousuke was not about to give into hysterical logic.

“He’s….” Oichi was cut off.

“They didn’t say you can’t, Sousuke. Did they?” Kaname was close to tears again. “And we KNOW that you have made your own orders before, right? Save the passengers, not the Whispered girl. Remember?” Kaname would never forget Khanka. How could she?

“Kaname…”

“DON’T KANAME ME!!!” Kaname’s face was bright red. Her anger was threatening to take over. “It’s not about rules and other stupid stuff. It’s about Ayame!”

Her eyes burned into Sousuke’s. “You’ll do this for Ayame, won’t you Sousuke???” That wasn’t her real question. Her real question was ‘You’ll do this for me, won’t you Sousuke.’ She was already providing him with the answer. ‘If you love me, you will….’

“And if my entering a situation I have no business being in gets people killed?” Sousuke was the voice of reason. She was asking him to take a lot onto his shoulders. “If my actions change things… foul up carefully orchestrated plans… and someone dies who shouldn’t have… who wouldn’t have?”

Kaname’s face fell. Her thoughts and emotions were too mixed up to sort out. “I want Ayame safe, Sousuke.” She stuck out her lower lip and clenched her fists. “That’s all that really matters to me.”

“What if my interference caused Ayame to die?” Sousuke knew that question would hit a nerve.

He had not decided what he was going to do yet, not having seen the situation first hand. But, he would make certain that Kaname had been informed of all possibilities before they reached their destination.

Kaname opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She looked shocked, almost frightened. It WAS a frightening possibility to consider. Especially since she was the one trying to force Sousuke into action. What if he made a critical mistake, and she had pushed him into it?

“I… don’t… know… what… to… do… Sousuke….” Kaname took off her seatbelt and grabbed onto Sousuke. It was difficult for her to be powerless. It was incredibly hard and humbly to feel so uncertain.

“We wait. We examine. And we do what we can.” Sousuke tenderly stroked her hair, thinking unwanted thoughts about past battles and the people who never made it home alive. He forced himself to remember the more prevalent times when they all came back safe.

“I’m… so… afraid….” Kaname began sobbing, her body wracked with grief.

“I am too, Kaname. I am too.” He kissed the top of her head.

“Y-Y-You….” Kaname looked up, surprised. “Sgt. Sagara, afraid?”

“Yes. I am afraid. And, Ayame means a lot to me, too.” His face was emotionless and set, but his eyes were open and honest.

Kaname just lay her head against him and closed her eyes. She tried to make it all go away, but it wouldn’t. She had been so upset with her sister over the past couple of days, but the reasons all seemed so trivial and unimportant now. She had to have hope. She HAD to! Her mind tried to conjure up pictures of a funeral, or images of a bloody and lifeless Ayame. She didn’t want to think about that! Her hands clawed at Sousuke’s shirt as she bit down on her lip.

Oichi looked over at Sousuke, once again taking measure of the young man. It was hard to believe he was only seventeen. He hadn’t made the mistake that so many young men might, rushing into promises he couldn’t keep, or falling prey to his emotions. He also hadn’t done something she had seen men do before. There had been no attempt to shut Kaname up or tell her how she should feel.

No less remarkable was the fact that he was indeed qualified to make a rescue attempt. Qualified, and armed. Who could guess such a fact, looking at the generally nondescript young man with the memorable scar?

She also looked up at the back of Mr. Smith’s head. He hadn’t said a single word for a while now. They were making much better head way than they had any right to. It never paid to write someone of as useless.

A phone rang.

It was Sousuke’s.

“Sagara.” Sousuke spoke, then listened. Kaname and Oichi tried to see if they could figure out what was going on by hearing only one side of a conversation.

“We are in an automobile, heading towards the site of the terrorist take-over. I estimate arrival in twenty to fourty minutes. I have my standard weapons cache, but will not become engaged with the enemy unless the situation offers appropriate opportunity. Am I commanded to do otherwise?”

Kaname held her breath. Why did he have to ask that? They could say “No.” Then what?

“What? How do we know that? There is a location? And that supposition is judged accurate enough to act on?”

Kaname caught the words ‘act on.’ Did that mean that Mithril was going to take a hand in the situation? She crossed her fingers.

“Do we know what their goal is? Should the incident at The Cloisters be considered a masterstroke of diversion?”

Kaname tensed up. What was going on? The trouble at the museum was the only thing that could possibly matter!

Sousuke was quiet for a while, listening intently.

“Cobalt? And Zinc? In those quantities? No one acted on those thefts before? That much material could mean….” Sousuke went pale.

The young soldier’s look sent a bolt of uncertainty through Kaname. What could have affected Sousuke in that manner.

“Yes. I understand. This could be even worse.”

Kaname chewed on her finger nails. What could be worse than what?

“Affirmative. I have the fast acting version with me.” Sousuke took a vial out of one pocket and looked at it, a troubled look on his face. “If it is entirely necessary, I will try it. But, if I undergo changes like before…in a city….” His hand actually trembled some.

Kaname stared at the vial. It was obviously some kind of medicine, but the long name meant nothing to her. Wait. No. That couldn’t be! What was going on!!!

Sousuke listened some more, holding the phone against the seat with one ear while putting together a small syringe. He drew out the liquid from the vial. His breath came out in a quick hiss when he stuck himself with the needle and completed the injection.

“I have injected the medication, Sir. How long before Arbalest is ready to launch? Will I have time to survey the other situation in the interim?”

Kaname was white in the face. That medicine. Could it be a newer version of the substances he had taken before North Korea? And what was Arbalest needed for? She knew enough to realize that an Arm Slave would have no purpose at all in a small museum filled with terrorists and their captives.

“Understood. I thank you, Sir. No, I will not exceed that deadline, no matter what! I will await notification.” Sousuke put away the phone and rubbed his arm at the site of a small oozing needle mark.

“Sousuke?” Kaname’s voice was soft and quiet, almost timid.

Sousuke sat back and closed his eyes, trying to slow down his heart beat and even out his breathing. He didn’t move or speak as Kaname tentatively squeezed his arm.

Oichi shook her head and held her hand up, palm out. Kaname bit her lip and nodded, sitting back against the seat.

It was all weighing heavily on the young soldier. It had been stressful enough dealing with Kaname family dynamics. The kidnapping situation involving Ayame should have been the ultimate tragedy to deal with. But, on top of that, things found a way to get worse. Much worse.

Sousuke kept his eyes closed as he spoke. “As you no doubt guessed, Kaname… that was experimental medicine. It is supposed to do what the other medicine did, hopefully with less drastic side effects. You will have also figured out that the presence of Arbalest indicates something more than a terrorist kidnapping. It is possible that you figured out that I will be able to view the scene at The Cloisters… but, I have a limited amount of time allotted… and no matter what, I cannot break that rule.”

Kaname was filled with a growing medley of feelings. Sousuke might be able to help Ayame. But, he was saying there was something much more important than her.

Sousuke sighed, then sighed again. “Informants reported waterside rumors and disappearances. By credible logic, it is thought that there are a number of Arm Slaves that have been smuggled into the general vicinity, somehow making their way past stringent inspections. We had no way of confirming that fact until satellite photos showed two ships being serviced by gigantic cranes. The cargo has a distinctive shape.”

“But why….” Kaname blurted out.

“It is uncertain. But, the possibilities are grim. There have been designs for so-called “salted bombs” since the fifties. As far as anyone knows, none had every been built or tested up until this day. Such weapons would exist only to create extensive radioactive fallout, making large areas uninhabitable.”

Both Kaname and Oichi looked shocked. The car swerved momentarily as Mr. Smith’s hands jerked on the wheel.

“Gold could be used in such a weapon, were the goal to create short term fallout, in terms of days. Zinc and tantalum could be fashioned into a bomb intended to create fallout of intermediate duration, most likely measured in months. Cobalt bombs could be used to create fallout lasting for years.”

Sousuke shuddered, feeling the effects of the medicine. He began to sweat. His mouth was dry and his heart rate was speeding up. This was different than before.

“As it was explained to me, the initial gamma radiation from and equivalently sized fission-fusion-fission device would be 15,000 times more intense at one hour, when compared to a cobalt device. The effects would become roughly equal at six months. But, Cobalt-60 fallout at one year would be eight times more intense. At five years, it would be 150 times intense.”

“My God…” Oichi was as pale as a sheet.

“There have been those who said that a cobalt bomb could spell the end of mankind. That is foolishness. To create a true Doomsday device, a bomb would needs tons of cobalt. But, even the effects on a limited area would be worse than anything ever seen before. The half-life of Cobalt-60 is between five and twenty-six years.”

“What does it all mean, Sousuke?” Kaname looked on the verge of breaking down.

“It is a collection of facts and suppositions, the worst case scenario of which would be devastating on an unimaginable scale. We saw the Memorial today. Those facts and figures were staggering. They would be nothing compared to the death and injury resulting from even a short duration salted-bomb of small size. A large long duration device could render the entire metropolitan area uninhabitable for a tremendous length of time.”

“And Ayame….” Kaname leaned over close to him.

Sousuke didn’t answer. He shouldn’t have to. Kaname’s sister was important for them all, but the lives of millions of people took higher priority. It frightened him just to think about trying to help her, then being killed or hindered from reaching Arbalest when it landed. Without the Lambda Driver operating, it would be vulnerable.

He coughed, his body feeling congested and warm. The situation was worse in some ways than the one in North Korea. He couldn’t afford to make any mistake at all. He almost found himself wishing that Lt. Cmdr. Kalinin had forbidden him from addressing the lesser issue first. Even if the ARX-7 landed intact and sat unmolested, its arrival would certainly be noted by someone. Not only did he need to stop whatever nebulous enemy he faced, he had to do so in timely fashion.

“Sousuke….” Kaname tugged at his shirt.

“Shhhhh….” Oichi shook her head.

“But….” Kaname’s look pleaded with Oichi.

“No.” Oichi sounded uncharacteristically firm.

“Mr. Sousuke….” Mr. Smith spoke up, breaking the silence. “I can guess what kind of things you do. Mr. C. has told me some of the things Mithril does, after Miss Stacy showed up. If millions of people are in danger, I don’t think that secrecy is important any more. I won’t go blabbing… and there may be things that I can arrange behind the scenes with old buddies… but driving won’t be much good if you need to get somewhere really fast later.”

Sousuke opened his eyes. He had been worried about that very fact. Lt. Cmdr, Kalinin said that something would be arranged. But, it certainly would not hurt to have a back up plan.

“You can arrange for a helicopter, or light aircraft and a parachute?” Those would be the most practical and effective solutions.

“Yes, I can. There will probably be some in the area of Fort Tryton Park now. It shouldn’t be too hard for me to convince my buddies to requisition one. But, it might take some doing, and they might want to talk to someone big.” Mr. Smith wasn’t foolish enough to offer a guarantee, and he knew it would be difficult to pull off. But, what was the harm in trying. The alternative was overwhelming.

Sousuke put in a call to Lt. Cmdr. Kalinin. Mithril’s plans were based on just such a scenario. They had people to call, and powerhouses to make the call. Needless to say, any method would be acceptable. Sousuke could steal a helicopter if necessary. He had rudimentary flight skills. Secrecy was still high priority, but did not take precedent over the devastation of an entire city of that size and importance.

He explained the situation to everyone. The terrorist kidnapping at the museum was likely part of the overall plan, a means to direct attention and resources at one area. While the city, nation, and world was distracted, the Arm Slaves would enter the city and do whatever they were planning on doing.

“It’s in your hands now, Mr. Smith. The clock is ticking. I only have so much time. Get us there as soon as possible.”

[Avlor]

o.O !!!

/faint from story stress... X.

Sob - why does he have to take the stupid meds again? Will they make him act like a twit again - breaking down all his barriers again? (Golly I hope not - But I don't want him on meds all the time if they do work. Oh fret and worry...)

can't wait to get to the next chapter...

/Av rushes off to get a few things done so she can reward herself with reading next chapter....