[FIC] A Night At The Opera (part 3 of 6) {Chapter 34}

[dd]

After the crowd had showered Sosuke with adulation, the opera had resumed and continued without further interuption. Tessa was happy again, and Sousuke was satisfied that he was doing a good job.

Near the end of the first intemission, after Souske and Tessa had returned to their seats, an exquisitely dressed elderly woman approached Sousuke. "May I have a moment of your time young man" she asked politely. "I promise I won't try to steal you away from your date." She winked at Tessa, who smiled in return. "After your actions earlier, I figured you might be able to help me."

"Certainly." Sousuke said.

"Thank you. I feel embarrassed asking, and I'm afraid I will be imposing on you..." The woman was clearly losing steam.

"It is not a problem. Please. I will help in any way I can!"

"It's just that I feel so helpless...too few people stand up for older people these days." The woman smiled sheepishly at Sousuke.

Sousuke looked at Tessa. Tessa nodded her head. "What is the problem, Madame...and how can I be of assistance."

"During the intermission, my friend and I waited in line a long time. Or legs were very tired, and we nearly had to sit before we got to the counter." True to her word, the woman sat in a temorarily vacated seat next to Sousuke. "Finally it was my turn. I paid the vendor, a very large man with tattoos, and waited for my pastry. As he was handing it to me, he sneezed on it." The woman rubbed her eyes with her hands, as if to wipe away a disturbing vision.

"Was he rude to you when he gave your money back?" Tessa prompted kindly when the woman faltered.

"No. He never gave my money back. He said I could have the pastry I bought, or throw it away if I liked. When I said I would not eat it...he gobbled it down in one bite...and looked at me like I was next on the menu."

"Did you buy another pastry?" Sousuke aksed.

"No, " the woman said, her lip quivering. "My friend bought two. She was going to give me one...."

"And?" Tessa helped again, kindly.

"The man coughed and spat on both. The same story. He wouldn't give us our money back. He wouldn't give us unsullied pastries. He did the same thing to another elderly woman as well." The woman looked up at Sousuke hopefully.

"I will help," Sousuke said, squaring back his shoulders. "That kind of behavior is inexcusable." He looked at Tessa. "This should not take long. It will not be a problem. Please sit with my companion, madame."

"He's such a nice young man. You're so very fortunate" The old woman told Tessa.

Watching Sousuke walk away, Tessa sighed.

The people in line applauded when they recognized Sousuke. They graciously allowed him to step to the head of the line when he explained what had been going on. A number of the patrons in line looked angrily at the vendors.

Sousuke gave his undivided attention to the only large vendor, a man with extensive tatoo work. "I belive you have been treating the elderly in an unacceptable fashion," Sousuke said. "This will cease. And you will either refund the money to people you have cheated, or you shall provide them with the pastries they paid for. The pastries will be untouched and properly edible."

The man stuck his finger in a large chocalate mousse...licked his finger...and repeated the process. He looked at Sousuke and sneered. "Just because I'm slingin' pastries doesn't make me a pansy, pretty boy. And I don't gotta take no lip from some punk-ass little kid in a monkey suit!" He wiped his hand off on Sousuke's lapel.

"If you continue in this fashion, I will be required to talk to your superiors. I am speaking of rank. As a person, almost everyone will be your superior." Sousuke did not smile. His eyes were very hard. The twitch in his right hand made the large man uneasy for a moment.

"Shit, I don't have time to change the diapers on every freakin' toddler that walks up to my table! You don't have any idea just what type of man you are dealing with, do you, mama's boy?" The man showed Sousuke a large tatoo covering his right biceps and triceps areas. It was an elaborate artist's rendition of a fictitious Arm Slave, surrounded by naked women and winged skulls with fire for eyes.

The man pushed one of his fellow vendors out of the way, so he could lean closer to Sousuke and whisper. "You see this tattoo. Can you guess what it means? I was an Arm Slave jockey before it became too boring. That's not the kind of man ANYBODY should mess with, especially a little pantywaist. Do you understand what I am saying?" The man coughed in Sousuke's face.

"I see. A pilot. What make of AS?" This was Sousuke's balliwick. It was not an area to tread upon foolishly. Wiping spittle from his eye, Sousuke was not in the mood for nonsense. He judged the man to be a liar.

"Each kind. EVERY kind. More types than you can imagine. More than a busy guy like me can remember." The man had the look of a rooster ready to crow.

"Not a problem. What was the last model, then? Surely a man of such skill could remember that! Was it the M3?"

"Yes. The M3. I am amazed that a little boy like you would even know about it!"

"The M3 was experimental, interim. It lost out to a more effective design. Are you claiming that you were a test pilot, or did you mean to say it was the X3?" There was no X3 designation used by any known force in the world.

"Yes, that's it, the X3. A real beauty. I kicked serious ass in THAT mother!" The man then went on to answer additional erroneous questions.

"There is no longitudinal azimuth adaptor in the M6, and the Savage does not have rocket-assisted jump capabilities" Sousuke said after his final questions. He then went on to correct all of the man's exagerations, misconceptions, and outright lies. Some people in line snickered. Some laughed outright.

"Oh, really...are you saying you know more than me, little man?" The man flexed his massive biceps, and stared Sousuke in the eyes. "What are you, some kind of freaked out military nerd?" He laughed, brushing his arm like he was brushing off Sousuke.

"I am a specialist." Sousuke did not elaborate. "You are a cheat and a bully. You will hand over two pastries for the women, or you will provide a refund. This is the last time I ask before calling your superiors. After that, you may return to piloting armchairs."

One woman standing behind Sousuke, having heard his pronouncent and approving wholeheartedly, started clapping. Soon, the other people within earshot did the same. They called out encouragement to Sousuke, while telling the vendor he should be ashamed of himself. The applause grew, and that simple expanding statement of approval and condemnation pushed the deeply troubled man over the edge.

Without warning, the tatooed man went bezerk: they were all against him, but he was not defenseless! "Well...here are some nice pastries, courtesy of the freakin' house!!!" He tossed two pastries at Sousuke, who easily avoided them. The Nougat glace and the Creme caramel splattered over the fine clothes of the visiting foreign dignitary and his young daughter standing behind Sousuke.

The man threw more pastries. Adeptly, Sousuke snared two, intact. He left the line untouched.

*************************************************************

Kaname and Kyouko had eventually been released, unharmed and unmolested. Things were touch and go, to start, as the two young ladies unfairly drew the ire of the battered guards. The ire, and more serious attention.

"You don't know the perpetrators, do you?" They had asked repeatedly, roughly, watching Kyouko's expression, judging her to be the first one likely to crack.

"N-N-no..." Kyouko had started, her eyes very large.

Kaname thought quickly. "We don't even know how many people you are talking about. We were sent back hear to report a suspicious character we saw in the lobby!"

"Yes? Describe this character!" The larger guard had a broken nose, and a swollen lip. He looked as if he had lost a game of chicken with a city bus. His three battered companions looked to be in worse shape.

"He was slightly taller than me...dark hair...had a cross-shaped scar..."
Kaname stopped when she saw the guards' reactions. They did not look angry. They looked scared. Maybe even embarrassed.

"We've seen no one meeting that description!" The smallest guard said. "And even if we had, and we hit on his girlfriend, there was no way he could kick our ass this bad!" The man said "What? What!" when another guard smacked him upside the head.

If the girls did not actually know the troublemaker, then the men lost one excuse. It didn't really matter though. The girls were still in the room. Who needed excuses? "Enough talk about people who don't exist. Why don't you girls give you attention and thanks to some real men who do exist. Men who make places like this safe for beautiful, young, vulnerable ladies like yourselves?"

Kyouko, suddenly feeling a little bolder, spoke up. "I should first say that my uncle is a privileged member of this opera house, and I doubt that he or the other ticket holders would take kindly to this kind of treatment!"

"That's okay, muffin" one guard said, laughing. "It won't be treatment, it will be a treat. Besides, who would believe a couple of young girls. Young girls tend be be hysterical. They have wild imaginations." The man leered.

"Yes, very very wild." Another man added. "Who knows just what...naughty...things they could imagine? We should put a lot of thought into that, shouldn't we guys. Besides we have powerful friends, and powerful friends don't pay much attention to young girls. At least not in any way different than WE do...."

Kaname pulled out her halisen from her bag. The guards laughed, failing to see that as a threat. One of them did notice something that wiped the smile clean off his face. "The little one's phone is on. Damn! You guys are so freakin' stupid! Find out what damn number that is!"

They tried to grab Kyouko's phone, but missed as she ducked behind Kaname.

Kaname, frightened, raised her halisen, and stook her arm out to impede one man's path to her friend. "It's the police" Kaname said. "And the police DO pay attention to what young girls say. Especially if they have evidence. And friends in the newspaper business!" The last was a bluff, but the guards didn't know that.

Fortunately, Kaname didn't need to wait to see if her bluff worked. A number of city police officers entered the room, after hearing report of a disturbing conversation recorded during an emergency phone call. Kaname and Kyouko had even trumped Sousuke!

Kaname was smiling, figuring she was free to go. She and Kyouko would be, AFTER they answered some questions and filled out some paperwork. Mere formalities, the officers assured her. Her civic duty, too. And she should be happy, she would only miss the first act.

Kaname thought of Sousuke. Payback would be Hell. And Hell would come in more than three acts. No intermission!!!

*************************************************************

Kaname and Kyouko were finally back in the lobby, poised behind their fancy masks, and attired in their fancy clothes. And, as good fortune had it, they arrived ay a most propitious time...someone was giving away free pastries! The only drawback to this boon was the fact that said pastries appeared to be raining from the sky.

Up until that point, the burly vendor---having fought off his fellow servers to the point of them lying unconcious, limbs akimbo---had been the only one flinging delectables. The crowd had been busy dodging, hiding behid bigger people, or running for cover. There was no sign of security. The police who had run by had more urgent matters to deal with. Things would not get better any time soon...in fact, things would escalate.

Kaname smacked her halisen against her thigh, hard. She growled, frightening a man and his young son nearby. "I will bet you ANYTHING that Sousuke is somehow responsible for this!!!"

"But Kaname" Kyouko said, interupting her photographic frenzy for a moment. "We can't be sure of that. And if he were rsponsible, wouldn't something bad have happened to us?"

"Uh---you have a point there." Kaname grudgingly yielded. "Perhaps..." She was interupted. Being hit in the face by a missile of chocolate mousse and flaky pie shell will have that effect.

Kyouko snapped a few more photos before retreating to a safe distance. She was concerned about Kaname, not flying food.

"You...were...saying...Kyouko?!!!" Kaname was furious. "Damn you Sousuke!!!" She picked up a number of fallen pastries and flung them back at the crazed vendor. Some of the other vendors, now regaining full consciousness, were hit by Kaname's projectiles. They soon changed allegiances, joining their enraged comrade in his quest to use up all of the pastries, taking down as many of the damned stuffed shirts as they could.

The crowd made an amazing discovery. Pastries could indeed be thrown in BOTH directions. There were definitely options that they had not considered on their own. More and more people joined in with Kaname, pelting the people from the Bistro bar with everything they could lay their hands on. That was not limited to food. Shoes flew. Perfume bottles, too. Partition work. One woman had to kick her husband in the shin, forcing him to drop their two year old child. A feeding frenzy would look calm in comparison.

Before long, the room resembled a battle scene from some baroque war. Only the limited amount of tossable materials might prevent Ragnarok.

Kaname and Kyouko finally had their fill. Kaname looked at herself in a reflection off the aquarium glass. Her face, hair, and exposed areas of her arms were all covered with various foods of mixed consistencies. But by some amazing miracle, her clothes remained untouched.

"You look really...sweet!" Kyouko said unwisely, camera flash reflecting off of both the fish tank and Kaname's angry eyes.

Kaname slowly and purposely ground a piece of layer cake into Kyouko's camera lens.

Kyouko smiled, removing her spare camera from her purse.

Kaname smiled in return. There was plenty more pastry!!!

*************************************************************

As there were no ushers visible, Sousuke waltzed into the theatre area, carrying the two intact pastries, a frosted lemon tart, and a strawberry crepe. He bowed deeply, presenting them to the woman who had asked for his help. She in turn handed one to her friend, who had caught back up with her.

Both women flattered Sousuke, under the amused gaze of Tessa. Sousuke, it seemed, had some trouble accepting praise.

"I must truly thank you young man," the woman's friend said. "Wait a minute, haven't we met?" Both she and Sousuke stared at each other a moment, followed quickly by contemporaneous flashes of memory. "The hospital!" the woman exclaimed. "The window washer!" Sousuke nodded his head, shyly. Tessa would be sure to ask about that. It hadn't been in his report.

"Yes, he truly is a fine young man, Mizuki. It's so nice to see young people taking an interest in the fine arts theses days." The woman slipped some paper money into Sousuke's hand. Tessa smiled.

*************************************************************

The lights dimmed, and the curtain started to rise.

"Sousuke, was there any trouble?" Tessa asked quietly. The women had returned to their seats.

"Very little, Tessa. As you can see, it did not takle me long to return with my mission objectives." He took that moment to present Tessa with a white carnation corsage he had bought walking back to the venue.

Tessa smiled happily. "You truly are amazing, Sousuke...do you know that?"

"Uh---" Sousuke looked at Tessa, confused. What did she mean? The flower? The pastries? The elderly women?

He grew more confused when Tessa kissed him quickly on the cheek. "Shhhhh-----" she said. "No more talking, now." Tessa's soul felt as if it were in flight.

Sousuke touched a finger tentatively to his cheek. It had happened again. What did this actually mean? Why was he feeling funny inside? What would Kaname think?

Siegfried proposed marriage to Gutrune, the lovely young sister to Gunther. In exchange for his sister, Gutrune demaded Brunnhilde. Siegfried agreed to the demand.

*************************************************************

Kaname and Kyouko finally reached their seats in the balcony. Kyouko, for her part, subsequently tried to follow the opera. Kaname, opear glasses in hand, frowned as she scanned the audience below, looking for Tessa and Sousuke. After her trip to the rest room, Kaname was perfectly clean on the outside. On the inside, though, she still carried the stain of her encounter with the guards, the police, and the propulsive vendors.

"Just you wait, Sousuke!" She had spoken out loud, not caring who heard. Kyouko was too engrossed to hear a single word she said. Her now clean camera had something other than Kaname to shoot.

*************************************************************

Tessa felt marvelous. This was certainly a night to remember. A whole DAY to remember! Leaning up against Sousuke---who made no effort to pull away---she thought about the future, as the diva sang of Siegfried's fate. Would this be just a treasured memory, and itch that needed to be scratched...never to be scratched again if it recurred? Could it be more?

*************************************************************

Sousuke sat entranced. He didn't know why he was enjoying himself...but he was. The singing was not objectionable...most of the time. The storyline was very pertinent. There was danger to face for every warrior, including the danger of the heart. A soldier could not afford to become careless, and a combatant must be able to tell friend from foe.

Tessa was clearly not a foe. Was she a friend? The way Sousuke felt today, he thought a friendship with Tessa could be a mutually enjoyable thing. But, what might she eventually want from him? He suspected it was something significantly more than friendship. Tessa was slowly worming her way into his heart...but what about Kaname? What about the things he shared with HER? He almost wished she was there at the opera.

Meanwhile, Brunnhilde was visited by Waltraute, one of the Valkyrie sisters. Waltraute begged Brunnhilde to return the Ring to the Rhine maidens, but Brunnhilde refuses. Siegfried, disguised as Gunther, appears and steals the ring from her finger.

*************************************************************

Kaname was decidedly unhappy. She had located Tessa and Sousuke. Tessa had her head on Sousuke's shoulder, and that big idiot had done nothing to prevent it! At least he didn't have his arm around her. From earlier in the day, a word returned to buzz about her mind: 'yet.'

She tried to find something to take comfort in. There!!! At least that hussy's dress was proper...THIS time. Unfortunately, it WAS terribly attractive on her.

There are bodily necessities that outrank even important covert surveillance. "Kyouko, we are going to the ladies' room." It was definitely not a request.

"But Kaname...it's coming to a REALLY important part! I don't want to miss it!!!" Kyouko seemed royally torn.

"Kyouko, I...am...not...going...alone! If you do not accompany me, fine. You will soon find, however, that YOUR BODY is missing some important parts!!!" The halisen was out, and Kaname's teeth were showing.

"I think I really DO need to join you...now." Clenching her teeth, Kyouko looked absolutely sincere.

Finding out about the double wedding ceremony and Siegfried's betrayal, Brunnhilde vows vengeance. She tells Hagen of Siegfried's fatal flaw...his back. Hagen goes on to stab Siegfried to death.

*************************************************************

When Kaname and Kyouko had finished their business, and were satisfied that their hair and fancy masks looked just right, they walked back out into the lobby, standing for a moment in front of the aquarium. They watched as the maintenace crew mopped up the last traces of the pastries. The vendors from the Bistro Bar were nowhere to be seen.

A number of security guards were present...fortunately none were the ones they had run into before! They were joined by an overly large number of ushers. Where had they been all this time?

The guards went to the front doors, unlocking three that had been secured the whole time before. Felt ropes, partitions, and smaller display cases were moved to the side of the entrance way. Each guard went to hold one of the large doors open.

Kaname shook Kyouko's shoulder. "Listen!"

"What is it Kaname?" Kyouko didn't like the sound of Kaname's voice.

"Shhhh----!" Kaname shook Kyouko again for good measure.

A distant rumbling sound soon became a growing rumbling sound. The growing rumbling sound soon became a loud rumbling sound. The sound grew progressively louder, actually becoming somewhat percussive in nature, just as four motorcycles rushed into the lobby from outside, sliding as their riders brought them to a temporary halt.

The ushers ran to open the door into the theatre area, each drawing a gun and following behind two speeding motorcycles.

Kyouko was busy snapping pictures as fast as her fingers could fly. Her actions did not go unnoticed. One of the guards---quite evidently involved in whatever plot was afoot---noticed Kaname, Kyouko, and Kyouko's flash. He spoke into a walkie-talkie, drew his gun, and headed in their direction.

The riders on the two remaining motorcycles spun their bikes in quick circles before following the other two bikes. Before leaving the lobby, their riders shot submachine guns wildly and indiscriminately about the room, frightening the vendors from other establishments, and causing patrons to drop to the floor and cover their heads, their spouses, and their children.

Kaname and Kyouko were about to duck back into the ladies room until they saw the guard running in their direction. The guard jumped behind a column, dodging bullets, yelling a curse at the disappearing motorcycles. It was time for the girls to run!

Before they had a chance to move, however, a burst of bullets gave the entrapped aquarium water a magnificent opportunity for escape. Kaname flinched when thousands of gallons of water flowed over her and by her, nearly knocking her over. The force of the deluge was tremendous, but fleeting. She was as soaked as a person could be. A large koi flopped about in her arms. An unperturbed Plecostamus sucked happily at her ankle. A crown of plant matter did not look the least bit regal sitting atop her head.

Kyouko, only a few steps to Kaname's right, remained totally dry. Dry, and in constant photographic ecstacy. Just moments before the guard stepped out from behind the column, Kyouko bent over to retrieve an aquarium ornament that had survived the great flood. It was a scantily clad mermaid with free flowing platinum hair. She showed it to her wet companion.

"Kaname...don't you think this looks like Tessa...I bet Sousuke will like it!!!" Only one thing saved Kyouko: the guard was heading in their direction again.

Kaname flung the koi at the guard, scoring a direct hit. As the guard's back-up arrived on the scene, Kaname grabbed Kyouko's hand and dragged her towards the nearest door in the lobby.

*************************************************************

Tessa was excited. Before too long, the opera would enterits climax, when Brunnhilde would find out the truth of what had happened...pledge to return the Rung to the Rhine maidens...and throw herself into the flames that would destroy the dead bodies of the gods. The Rhine would overflow and swallow everything. Valhalla would rise in flames.

Sousuke had caught the beginnings of an incongruous sound. Engine noises. Four-cycle engine noises. Those certainly did not belong in the Gotterdammerung. They shouldn't be getting louder where he and Tessa sat.

"Tessa...get down now, and stay down." His voice was level and firm.

"Sousuke...what...why now?" Tessa heard nothing dangerous yet and saw no threat. She did not want to pull herself away from the performance.

"NOW TESSA!" Tessa, remembering the incident with A21, complied with Sousuke's directions. She opened her purse and removed her pistol, switching off the safety.

Sousuke's weapons were at the ready when two red Yamaha Y2F-R1 motorcycles roared into the room, one headed down each aisle. They were followed soon thereafter by two green, blue and white Kawasaki ZX9R Ninjas. The riders held assorted semi-automatic weapons, and were followed by a number of men in usher outfits. Sousuke was certain the the latter were not here to ask the former to leave quietly.

A group of men in the front two rows were standing and heading for cover, guns drawn. The remainder of the audience was stunned, watching in disbelief. The rapid action just did not make any sense to them, and it was a short while until the instinct for self-preservation was triggered. The opera singers were shocked, but quickly ran for cover. The sound of many musical instruments being dropped could be heard.

The motorcyclists on the left side of the room would not make it to their objectives in the manner they had planned. Sousuke had leapt into action the moment he heard gunfire in the lobby. The mounted men might be members of the bosozuku, or 'speed tribes,' contracted out to a different group of gang members. Possibly as a means to draw notoriety to their own group. Perhaps as shock troops.

The armed men in motion up front were no doubt members of a rival gang. They likely had a routine of going to the opera. Routines provide opportunities for opponents.

Thoughts raced through Sousuke's mind. The assailants would probably focus their attention on their rivals and would not be likely to purposely attack other members of the crowd. But, in this type of venue, under these circumstances, significant numbers of bystanders could be caught in the crossfire.

The high speed adversaries with the more deadly weapons would be taken out first! Caltrops rained down upon the carpeted aisle, making quick work of the tires of the motorcycles. The riders lurched to the side, their bikes sliding, their momentum causing them to continue on their way, one flipping into the air and flying over the front two rows of seats, the other running into and bouncing off the stage. The riders lay still and their weapons remained silent. As ushers rans by holding guns, patrons began to rush out of their seats after the visible threat passed them by. A screaming mass of humanity grew steadily larger, as hysterical people tried to reach the lobby, stepping on or over anyone in their way.

Crouching down low enough so as to not draw undue attention to himself, Sousuke made use of his silent weapons first. One usher ran too close, and was rewarded by quick garroting. Three others suffered significant head wounds as a result of Sousuke's sling. A fifth opted out of the fight, his life leaving him through a knife wound in the neck. Two men were tripped, and each receased a blessed time of sleep courtesy of the taser.

For a brief moment, Sousuke caught a glimpse of the rude patron he had schooled earlier. The man was on the ground screaming, caltrops stuck painfully into the bottom of his fancy shoes.

Sousuke had effectively neutralized his side of the room. It was time to get Tessa out! "Tessa, we should leave now...quickly!"

Sousuke started to move, but Tessa did not follow. "Tessa! Now!"

Tessa was glancing quickly about the room, watching the rival gang members quickly escalate their skirmish. Shots wre flying in all directions, and patrons were being hit.

"This is likely gang-related, Tessa. It does not concern us while you are in danger. I will return once you are safe, if my presence will make things safer for the innocent!" Sousuke was insistant, and firmly grabbed Tessa's arm, dragging her after him.

Tessa shook off Sousuke's grip. "I will make it out on my own. You will stop them Sousuke...there are innocent people caught in that battle. Woman and children, Sousuke!"

Some of the defending gang members ran in their direction, trying to lose themselves in the crowd. That drew the fire of their rivals, including one man who had picked up a submachine gun dropped by one of the unconscious bikers. Bullets hit the ground and seats near Tessa.

Sousuke was forced to target the source of danger and fire, steady well-aimed shots taking down three shooters in rapid succession. The sound of firing next to him told him that Tessa had entered the fray, though she failed to hit a dodging man she had aimed at. Sousuke pushed her in the direction of the exit, and she ran, stumbling a bit along the way.

Sousuke first assessed whether any gunmen might have targets in the vicinity of Tessa. Seeing none who did, he jumped past huddled patrons and hurdled a row of seats. He searched quickly for the men with motorcycle helmets, intent on taking their weapons out of play. Their speed had clearly caused a large number of their victims to be trapped up front. One rider was clearly down, spread-eagled in the right aisle. The other was causing havoc along the front rows. Sousuke took that man down, five shots needed for the minimally exposed target.

Sousuke's presence and effectiveness had not gone unnoticed. A number of ersatz ushers attempted to flank him and pin him down. He had to rapidly dodge...seek cover...move...and seek cover again. He took down two more men, but he was in a poor situation.

Tessa's presence had been noted as well, as had her association with Sousuke. One man signalled to two others to apprehend Tessa, stymied in her attempts to move past the sea of bodies running and advancing ahead of her.

*************************************************************

Kaname and Kyouko ran through a long series of office rooms, service corridors, and maintenance facilities. They found themselves in a large backstage area, made up of various workshops. Three security guards ran behind them, guns drawn.

"Just...give...us..the camera" one guard yelled, gaining ground on the fleeing girls. "We...promise...not...to...hurt...you!"

"YEH, RIGHT!" Kaname shouted as she ran, Kyouko just behind her. Both had started to feel winded.

Kyouko was quiet, but she was determined to hang onto both her life and her camera, in no particular order.

Pulling large items off of shelves and out of boxes, Kaname left them in the path of her pursers, hoping to buy some time. She and Kyouko were heading into an area with countless places to hide. If only they could buy themselves some time.

They heard shots fired.

*************************************************************

Sousuke had gone through two clips and had two more remaining. A majority of the remaining gang members from both factions had jumped up on the stage and vanished from view, or had gone in through one of the two doors in the front of the room.

Sousuke quickly searched for Tessa. He found her. She was being carried by two ushers, one who held her legs and the other who had ahold of her arms. She was struggling, so she was still alive and conscious. Her rear captor had a presumptive bullet wound in his right upper thigh near the hip. He moved with a slight limp, slowing them down some.

Sousuke made his way down a row of seats and into the aisle, following Tessa and her assailants. He stopped, and took careful aim, shooting at the rear man. He hit the upper left shoulder, spinning that man around, causing Tessa to be party dropped. The other man picked up Tessa under her arms and held her in front of him, backing into one of the doors before closing it.

The remaining man, unarmed and face distorted in pain, looked up as Sousuke approached, gun aiming at his head. "I...I..." he gasped out, coughing before he continued. "I...suggest you do not follow. You have interfered enough. We have taken the young lady as insurance. If you leave now, you may escape our vengeance. She will most likely be released unharmed."

Sousuke fought the urge to pull the trigger. Instead he made use of his taser, not caring if the man died from his gunshot or not.

As quickly as he could, Sousuke retrieved an Uzi dropped by one of the bikers. The clip was half full. He grabbed the clip from the other nearby Uzi, luckily laying within easy view. Checking inside the door, he followed after Tessa.

*************************************************************

[HELLFIRE]

I LOVE suckers that dig their own graves BS'ing about stuff they
don't know. Now THERE'S a candidate to ride with Sousuke next time
he takes aa test ride on an AS!!

...as for Kyouko & Kaname and the loser "guards"... what kinda trouble's
gonna happen now





Regards

[dd]

@HELLFIRE

You love suckers?

The Plecostamus is very happy!

**Kaname gone, the sucker fish looks for another ankle**

[Taurec]

He seems happy yet guilty ??

[dd]

@Taurec

Excellent. Might that be envy in his eye?

Algae is easy to get...but Ankle de Chidori, recent vintage?

[darkbane]

dd, your fantasy is running wild... too wild... heh... keep it coming tho.. for now :p

[dd]

Wild? How can you say wild? Isn't the opera usually like that? If not......why would people go?

Ah well...maybe I should tone things down a bit? Nah! Time enough for that in the next serious arc, if I write it.

**reaches into cabinet, removes spice container labeled <WILD>, dumps it into the gumbo**

[HELLFIRE]

I can see the morning papers' reviews now: '...midway thru the performance
the director elected to dispense with the customary ending and give
it a modern facelift, complete with motorcycles, machine guns, danger,
and a damsel in distress. HIGHLY recommended. LIVE THEATHER makes
a comeback!'

// draws his own weapon and prepares to hunt down those loser guards
and gangmembers with Sousuke DIE LOSERS!!!




Regards