Chapter III

He was falling, no sense of direction at all, just tumbling into the indescribable abyss.  Darkness, some would call it that, but without light, there is no such thing as darkness.  He continues to fall, with no one but the air to keep him company.  Yes, the air had a life of its own, as did the abyss.  The air was friendly and amiable to him, but the abyss laughed at him.   But even though he had company, he knew he was alone.   Forever falling, and that’s all. 

If there is no sense of direction, how does he know that he is falling?  As he realizes this, the pit comes to an end and the ground comes up from nowhere.  The air, repaying his companionship, set him down lightly.  But if he wasn’t falling, where could he go?  He began to wander aimlessly through nothingness. 

_______________

Kiyo awoke with a start.  Was he dreaming…or was it real? 

Before he was lost in thought, he turned his attention to more important matters.

“Adrian…I don’t like his story at all,” Kiyo told himself.  “It’s all just…too convenient.  It’s naïve as shit, too.  Time continuums and time travel…shit like that doesn’t exist.  Besides, the guy tried to kill me and kill innocents, why the hell should I trust him.”

Kiyo was sitting at a small café trying to decide if he was going to hunt Adrian down and kill him, or believe the wild story that he had told.

“Hey!” Kiyo smashed his head into the table, “What do you know about all this?!”

Kiyo got no answer from the voice of the Zephyr

“Damn it!  The one time I want you to be there your not.  I guess its just me…”

Kiyo got up and walked into the streets.   As he headed for the outskirts of the town, there was a small explosion that went off next to his ear.  Kiyo was being sniped.

“Shit,” Kiyo said ducking into an alley.  He pulled his gun out.

“Now, where is he…?” Kiyo could just barely make out a figure sprawled over a sand dune.

“My only chance is to…” Kiyo turned into the street and ran towards his attacker.

Gunshots erupted on both sides of him, taking small chunks out of the street.

Kiyo was soon out of the town.

More gunshots exploded on the sand, sending dirt clouds into the air.

“Lucky for me he can’t aim,” Kiyo was starting to lose his breath as he cocked his pistol.

Kiyo was within fifty yards of the sniper.

“Gotta time this just right…” within 30 yards…

Kiyo lunged to the left, barely escaping the path of the bullet.  He aimed his gun at the sniper’s hand and fired.

There was no more gunfire, indicating the sniper was disabled

Blood dripped into a puddle whish the sand suck up like a long awaited drink of water.

Kiyo walked up to him.

The sniper was a small man, about the age of 42.  He had thinning gray hair and the eyes of a killer.

Kiyo picked him up by the collar.

“Who are you working for?!” Kiyo demanded.

“You think I’ll tell that easy you dumbshit?!” the sniper, holding his bleeding hand, replied.

Kiyo gripped the sniper’s bleeding hand and took the blood covered index and middle fingers.  Then, he twisted them around, snapping the bones apart.

The sniper screamed in pain as Kiyo kept twisting.

“I’ll give you one more chance to tell me or I’ll do that to your head!” Kiyo yelled.

“All right!  All right!  It was Hazuma…Hazuma!” The sniper cried in pain.

“Who is he?!”

“He is the last member of the Backdraft!”

“Where is he?!”

“He told me he would be at the Kikumichi Inn at the next town east tonight…for my pay…”

Kiyo dropped the man to the ground and began to walk away.

The man pulled out a pistol with his good hand and aimed it at Kiyo’s head.

Kiyo turned around and shot the sniper’s other hand.

“I gave you a chance…”

Kiyo then leveled his gun at the man’s forehead.

“No…no please!”

Kiyo pulled the trigger and a bullet dug itself into the sniper’s forehead.

Blood spilled over his face and he fell limp to the ground.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

‘What do you plan to do now?’ The voice rang in Kiyo’s head.

“Would you just go away!  I’m trying to think, and its not easy with an annoying asshole talking in your head.

‘Excuse me.  I didn’t know you were in the middle of a-’

“SHUT THE HELL UP!”

Kiyo slammed his head into the control array.

‘I was just making a joke…’ Zephyr commented dizzily.

“I’m almost there…then I can get some answers from this Hazuma guy,” Kiyo said to himself.

As the town became clearer, he could see the inn.  It was a huge establishment, made only a few years or so ago from the look of it. 

Kiyo stopped the Liger Zero a few miles from the town.  After locking the canopy, he headed for the big sign with the word ‘Kikumichi’.

He entered the building.  It was finely furnished.  The floor was white marble, the check-in desk was made of dark oak. 

“Can I help you sir?” the clerk inquired.

“Yeah, any reservations under the name Hazuma?”

“Yes, Mr. Hazuma has been waiting for your arrival.”

The clerk lead Kiyo into another fancy room, this one a bar. 

“Thanks, I can find him from here,” Kiyo told the clerk.

He then looked around the room for someone looking suspicious.  His eyes stopped on a table in the corner of the room.

It was him…that man!  The one who had sneaked into the Blitz team’s base.  Everyone must have forgotten about him until after Adrian had destroyed the air fleet.

Kiyo walked over to the table.

“You-” The man, apparently Hazuma, started to speak.

“Make a commotion and your dead,” Kiyo whispered pointing his gun, fitted with a silencer, at Hazuma’s chest.

“I want answers!” Kiyo commanded Hazuma.

“Piss off!” Hazuma replied in a hostile manner. 

Kiyo grabbed one of his arms and turned it  all the way back, making a cracking sound.

“All right, all right!” Hazuma gasped

“Why do you want me dead?!” Kiyo demanded.

“He told me you needed to be dead.”

“Who is he?”

“He came to me after everything was lost…he told me that I could be a part of it!”

“Answer the question!”

“His name-The Great Ganshee!”

“Ganshee…Adrian told me about him…”

“Oh did he?!” this time Hazuma’s voice was different, almost as if someone else was speaking through him.

“What the-”

“As you may have already guessed, you are no longer speaking to Hazuma,”

“Then who are you!”

“Hazuma has been my slave-a fate that has befallen so many others-for quite a while now.”

“Your…Ganshee!”

“Good answer.  Implant an electrical device into a brain and the wonders you can do with it!”

“Come out and fight me like a man instead of sending other people to do your work.”

“Your presence is not worthy of the Great Ganshee!” this time it was Hazuma again.

“Where is he!”

“I’ll never tell you!”

With that, Hazuma fell limp.  Kiyo checked for a pulse, finding none.

“Dammit!”  Kiyo slammed his fist into the table.

He sat there for a few minutes, then got up and left.

______________________________________________________