Chapter 59 - The Enemy Within
By Cille
Deep within the bunker, in a dark hallway not far from the escape tunnel, a wall began trembling. As if a veil were being lowered, a figure emerged from its hiding place on the wall. The man eased himself down and opened his eyes, revealing a blood-red gaze.
He took a deep breath and stretched, glad to finally be able to move after being stuck on the wall for hours. But he was used to biding his time, and the discomfort meant nothing to him compared to the carnage he was about to enjoy. It was just like that night years ago, when he had eradicated his entire clan...
Itachi Uchiha hadn't wanted anything to do with his employer's little war. It wasn't his business and it wasn't his concern. He hadn't even seen Ozzal since she left Comdot Estate for her hideout months before. It was debatable whether he was even still employed by her, and most of his remaining Enigma Eight associates had already left for greener pastures. But having no other objectives at the time, he had remained at Comdot along with Kagetoki Kariya, who still called Ozzal his lord. At the very least, Itachi had no trouble taking advantage of the free amenities that Comdot had to offer.
Then, weeks after the war ended and the Syndicate rats scurried into their nest, Ozzal made him another proposal even more tantalizing than the first. This time he would have not only one target, but as many as he could take down. His task would be to find a way to infiltrate the Syndicate's bunker and kill every last one of them. He practically began salivating while he was reading the message. This challenge would be little more than child's play for him, but he would enjoy the glory of being the one to singlehandedly put a permanent end not just to the rebellion, but to the rebels themselves.
He closed his eyes and felt the imperceptible hum of the base and its slumbering inhabitants. As he suspected, none of them had any reason to think that they were in danger.
He slipped into the darkness, and the hunt was on.
**********
Walter Dornez was taking his nightly stroll through the bunker, enjoying the peace and quiet and solitude while the rest of the Syndicate slept.
He had taken up this habit during the war. Starry had forbidden him from joining the fighters on the battlefield, so he had busied himself assisting wherever he could within the bunker. Once the siege began, he mostly helped Foley manage the supplies and did everything he could to make his comrades' lives more comfortable and less stressful. Since he needed very little sleep, and in his earlier life had been used to working at night, he took to wandering the halls of the bunker in the wee hours.
As he walked, musing over nothing in particular, he became aware of a distinctive odor, a scent that he knew very well. It had been omnipresent during the six-day war, but he hadn't detected it for some time now except when he passed through the infirmary. But he wasn't anywhere near that wing, so where could it be coming from now?
His senses sharpened and his pace quickened. His instincts told him that something was wrong.
In this part of the base the tunnels were a dim labyrinth. The mech lab was not too far away, and most of the rooms in this area were used for storage. There shouldn't have been too many people roaming around, especially at that time of night, but that metallic scent had to be coming from somewhere - or someone...
He rounded a corner, and nearly tripped over a man lying on the floor. If Walter hadn't already been expecting the worst, he might have assumed it was one of the GAR Streeters passed out drunk.
But even in the dim light, the red splash on the wall was unmistakable. This was why he had been smelling blood. And the poor fool at his feet was most certainly not going to wake up from his stupor.
Walter hurried along the passageway. He passed two open doors, and in each room a sleeping inhabitant had had his neck slashed. He was beginning to wonder if Jack the Ripper had passed through when he saw another body splayed out in a side hallway. This one still had the murder weapon embedded in his upper back.
A kunai... Walter thought. So it's a ninja we're dealing with. This isn't good.
Kneeling down to inspect the weapon, Walter got a better look at the man's face and recognized Larry from the mech lab. He must have been struck down by the thrown kunai as he tried to flee, and his face was still etched with fear. Walter felt sorry for him, knowing that he had been a friend of Starry's boyfriend Raef and that he had never been much of a fighter. Against a skilled opponent he would have had stood no chance, even of escaping.
As Walter was about to stand up and step over Larry's body, he heard a soft whimpering sound. Looking more closely, he realized that there were tears coming from Larry's terrified eyes. Somehow, it seemed, he had survived his encounter with the ninja.
"Help..." Larry whispered through his sobs, "Please help me..."
Walter furrowed his brow. There was no question that this man needed medical attention to stay alive, and the sooner the better. But whoever had attacked him and killed the others was still somewhere in the base. In the time it took to summon a doctor, the intruder would have the chance to kill countless others. Even bringing a doctor out into the open would put valuable personnel in danger. And Walter couldn't even consider sounding a general alarm, since having a multitude of sleepy, confused and panicking people out and about would only make the ninja's job easier.
No, the only thing Walter could do was keep moving, as silently as possible, and take the intruder out himself.
"Stay where you are and don't move," he quietly instructed the prostrate man. "Don't remove the kunai or you'll bleed out faster. I swear I'll come back for you after I kill whoever did this to you."
Larry sniffled but didn't object. Knowing that he was now racing against the clock, Walter continued his search with renewed determination.
Another body, and another. Walter couldn't even stop to see if the men were still alive. They were simply stones in the path, guiding him toward the killer.
He heard a muffled scream, silenced as quickly as it began. It was close, and Walter moved swiftly toward the sound. A moment later he was at the open door of the mech workshop, and cautiously peered inside.
Within the dim expanse of the large room, a lamp illuminated a small area to one side. By its light Walter saw the limp body of the blonde female mechanic - Winry, was it? - slump onto the workbench, the blood flowing from the new gash in her throat slowly spreading over her unfinished blueprints. Behind her a dark figure released its grasp on her and slowly raised itself up.
She picked the wrong night to work late, Walter thought, before turning his attention more fully to the person standing behind her.
Without waiting to see if the ninja would notice his presence, Walter decided to confront him head-on. Quickly striding into the room and closing the door behind him, he spoke deferentially but confidently: "Pardon me, sir, but might I humbly request that you stop killing people? You're making quite a mess."
Looking up only long enough to acknowledge the interruption, the ninja swooped toward Walter with his kunai extended. But the old man was still quite agile, and easily evaded the strike.
The ninja came to rest and narrowed his eyes. So, this one was different from the pawns he'd dispatched so far.
"Really, sir, you could save yourself and me both a lot of trouble if you'd just put an end to this and go back from whence you came," Walter tried again.
"I will put an end to this... when you're all dead," the ninja retorted, flinging his kunai at Walter. Once again he sensed them coming and nimbly dodged them.
The ninja sized the old man up, and then a look of realization came to his face. "Wait, I know you... A butler, right? You were in Comdot back then. Yes, with Ozzal's daughter. I heard that you had disappeared with her. So this is where you ran off to."
"You have a remarkable memory," Walter said with an indulgent smile. "Yes, you have that all quite right. My name is Walter C. Dornez. And if I am not mistaken, you're that Uchiha fellow that Head Governor Ozzal employed to take care of some of her dirty business."
"Yes, that's right," Itachi said evenly.
"So sorry to hear about your family all that time ago. Dreadful business, wasn't it."
Itachi's eyebrow twitched slightly. "Dreadful, indeed."
"I suppose this is quite a nostalgia trip for you," Walter said pleasantly. "But I'm afraid you won't be able to get as far as you did that time. One way or another, I'm going to stop you right here."
"You think you can kill me, old man?" Itachi challenged.
"Well, it doesn't have to come to that. I'd like it better if you'd just go away. The young mistress doesn't like me fighting, you see."
"It must be sad for a man like you, living your life as a dog on a little girl's leash," Itachi said with a sneer. "But if you're not going to fight, it'll be that much easier for me to put you out of your misery."
"Yes, well, as it happens, the young mistress is not here." Walter flashed a slightly wicked grin. "And I wouldn't dream of disturbing her slumber for a triviality like asking permission."
Itachi smiled. So the dog wasn't totally neutered after all. "All right then, old man. If you think you can stop me, let's see what you've got."
Itachi assumed a ready stance, brandishing two new kunai, as Walter unleashed the wires he kept hidden in his sleeves. For several moments the two of them simply looked at each other intently, reading each other's body language and waiting to see who would flinch first.
Finally Walter went on the attack, bringing one of his arms forward and whipping a set of wires toward his opponent. Itachi easily jumped out of the way, but the wires attached to Walter's other hand were waiting to intercept him. Itachi deflected those wires with a kunai and reached out to slash at Walter's exposed neck. The old man ducked out of the way, and managed to loop a wire around one of Itachi's feet. After momentarily being pulled off-balance, the ninja seemed to flicker and then appeared behind Walter, prompting him to do some evasive acrobatics of his own.
"I see you're going to drag this out and make me work," Itachi said as the two of them came to rest again.
"On the contrary, I'd like to finish this as quickly as possible," Walter answered.
"That makes two of us."
Despite their stated desires, the confrontation went on for several minutes. Each time one combatant seemed to gain an advantage, the other would counter it with equal speed and dexterity. When Itachi threw kunai at Walter, the old man dodged them or caught them with wires and swung them back at him. When Walter wrapped his wires around some part of Itachi's body, the ninja poofed away or replaced his trapped body with some readily available piece of machinery. While Itachi was undoubtedly the stronger of the two, Walter was his match in craftiness and versatility.
Once again the two of them separated and paused to catch their breath.
"So... your physical combat abilities haven't slowed down with age, I see," Itachi said.
"Well... maybe just a little," Walter said modestly.
"I wanted to avoid resorting to this, but I think you've wasted enough of my time. So for the sake of getting this over with..."
"Resorting to what, if I might ask?" Walter interrupted.
Itachi's red eyes glinted cruelly as he finished his sentence. "...Tsukuyomi."
The room turned crimson in an instant. Walter had the sensation of falling into a vast red expanse, like sinking in an endless pool of blood. Looking up he saw a gigantic red moon silhouetting a flock of flying crows. It reminded him of something he had seen before.
Peering intently around him, he tried to discern where his adversary had gone. But he saw no sign of Itachi, until a long blade suddenly pierced his back and ran him through.
Walter screamed involuntarily. He felt a sensation of incredible pain, but upon reflection it seemed somehow... artificial.
As the blade withdrew from his body, he heard Itachi's smoothly taunting voice in his ear. "How does that feel? Agonizing, isn't it?"
Walter didn't answer, and Itachi took the opportunity to stab him again, and then again.
The ninja braced his foot against Walter's back, and shoved him forward as he pulled the sword out. Walter collapsed onto his hands and knees, gasping for breath.
"You may be a master in your own world, but you're in my world now. And you're going to be enduring a lot more of this until you finally can't take it anymore. I don't even think I'll have to go the full seventy-two hours."
Walter was breathing too heavily to speak. Seventy-two hours? That's more than enough time for someone to find us down here. If I can keep him busy for that long... he thought.
Itachi laughed quietly. "Of course, that's seventy-two hours for you, in here. Out there, less than a second will have passed. And then I'll be back to my mission, and you'll be dead."
Walter grimaced. Holding out in this place for seventy-two hours would be a bother, but at least Larry wouldn't have to wait too long for aid in the real world.
Three blades appeared out of nowhere and struck Walter through the torso. He grunted, coughing up blood.
"While we're here though, I might as well have some fun," Itachi continued.
The blades shattered, sending shrapnel slicing through Walter's body. This must be what it feels like to be slashed up by my wires... he thought, wincing.
As if on cue, a multitude of impossibly thin wires materialized around him and wrapped around his chest. Rather than severing his body, they simply constricted tighter and tighter, inflicting innumerable paper-cut-like incisions on his skin and squeezing all of the breath out of his lungs. For an agonizingly long time Walter couldn't breathe at all, and he had to force himself not to get woozy.
"Any time you want to end the torment, feel free to go ahead and die," Itachi said condescendingly.
The wires finally loosened, and Walter's body heaved to the ground as he gasped for breath. The ninja reacted to his physical distress with a smug cackle.
"If... I did that... I'd miss out... on all of these creative... methods of torture..." Walter finally got out in between gulps of air.
The cackling stopped abruptly. "What... did you say?"
"That's not to mention these marvelous special effects," Walter added, beginning to get his breathing under control. "Have you ever thought about going into filmmaking?"
Itachi started as he realized what was happening. What? My genjutsu isn't controlling him... How is that possible? He doesn't have a Sharingan... How is he still able to think?
As if sensing the confusion in Itachi's mind, Walter began laughing. It began as a smug chuckle and grew into something triumphant.
"So this is your scheme, boy? You create a world of hell around me and expect me to believe in it? And you think by believing it I'll be overcome by it, and then you'll be able to break me?"
Itachi watched incredulously as Walter lurched to his feet and then turned to level a glare straight at him, his monocle glinting menacingly.
"Let me tell you something, boy. I have looked into the eyes of Hell itself, and did not blink or falter. So what makes you think your visual tricks will scare me?"
"Visual... tricks?" Itachi growled. His frustration at the apparent failure of his infallible technique was turning quickly to anger in the face of his opponent's mockery.
"That's all this is, isn't it? An illusion? An apparition? A world of the mind? If none of this is real, then you can cut me all you like and it won't really hurt me. And, well, if this is having an effect on my real body, then at least I can cut you down too before I fall."
"No, you can't," Itachi retorted. "There isn't a thing you can do to me - in here or out there. I told you, this is my world. And out there your body is immobilized until I release -"
Without waiting to hear more, Walter lunged forward toward the ninja, moving instinctively as if his trusty wires were there waiting to respond to their master's wishes. With razor-sharp intent, he threw all of his determination into a dual slash at Itachi's neck.
And then the red mist, the blood moon, and the crows all vanished as quickly as they had been summoned. Walter found himself back in his real body, still standing with his arms extended, the metal wires attached to his hands gently wafting downward. Before him Itachi's body slumped to its knees and then to the ground. The severed head rolled to its resting place, still looking back at Walter with an expression of disbelief.
Somehow, despite what Itachi had expected, Walter's body had responded to his willpower within the nightmare world, and in that split-second the real world had trumped the world of the mind.
Walter's relief at finding himself back in familiar surroundings quickly gave way to a strange mental and physical anguish, and he fell to his knees, clutching his throbbing head.
What's happening? That wasn't real, was it? he thought. He felt his torso and found that he in fact hadn't been impaled.
It was just an illusion... just... a...
His senses reeling, he looked around and tried to get his bearings. His wavering vision settled on the blonde mechanic lying on the workbench.
Larry... I have to get help...
He forced himself to his feet and stumbled toward the workshop door. Leaning on the doorframe, he noticed an intercom mounted to the wall. Barely knowing what he was doing, he started mashing buttons until he got a response.
"Hello? Is someone there?" Kittan's voice answered through the speaker.
It was an effort for Walter just to make words. "The workshop... outside, in the hall... Larry... intruder..."
Walter's hand slipped and his legs gave out. As his consciousness faded, he only barely heard the rest of what Kittan said through the intercom.
"Hey wait, say that again? An intruder in the workshop? Hey you guys, get down there and see what's going on with Larry..."
Chapter 59 author's notes:
Recurring characters:
Michelle Ozzal - Mike Lazzo
*Starry Ozzal - starryjelly
*Foley S. Goode - Foley_is_Good_149
Larry Zorin - LAZY17
*Raef Compton - Maenos
Itachi Uchiha - Naruto
Kagetoki Kariya - Samurai Champloo
Walter Dornez - Hellsing
Winry Rockbell - Fullmetal Alchemist
Kittan - Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann
* Characters marked with an asterisk are mentioned but do not take an active part in the story.
Deep within the bunker, in a dark hallway not far from the escape tunnel, a wall began trembling. As if a veil were being lowered, a figure emerged from its hiding place on the wall. The man eased himself down and opened his eyes, revealing a blood-red gaze.
He took a deep breath and stretched, glad to finally be able to move after being stuck on the wall for hours. But he was used to biding his time, and the discomfort meant nothing to him compared to the carnage he was about to enjoy. It was just like that night years ago, when he had eradicated his entire clan...
Itachi Uchiha hadn't wanted anything to do with his employer's little war. It wasn't his business and it wasn't his concern. He hadn't even seen Ozzal since she left Comdot Estate for her hideout months before. It was debatable whether he was even still employed by her, and most of his remaining Enigma Eight associates had already left for greener pastures. But having no other objectives at the time, he had remained at Comdot along with Kagetoki Kariya, who still called Ozzal his lord. At the very least, Itachi had no trouble taking advantage of the free amenities that Comdot had to offer.
Then, weeks after the war ended and the Syndicate rats scurried into their nest, Ozzal made him another proposal even more tantalizing than the first. This time he would have not only one target, but as many as he could take down. His task would be to find a way to infiltrate the Syndicate's bunker and kill every last one of them. He practically began salivating while he was reading the message. This challenge would be little more than child's play for him, but he would enjoy the glory of being the one to singlehandedly put a permanent end not just to the rebellion, but to the rebels themselves.
He closed his eyes and felt the imperceptible hum of the base and its slumbering inhabitants. As he suspected, none of them had any reason to think that they were in danger.
He slipped into the darkness, and the hunt was on.
**********
Walter Dornez was taking his nightly stroll through the bunker, enjoying the peace and quiet and solitude while the rest of the Syndicate slept.
He had taken up this habit during the war. Starry had forbidden him from joining the fighters on the battlefield, so he had busied himself assisting wherever he could within the bunker. Once the siege began, he mostly helped Foley manage the supplies and did everything he could to make his comrades' lives more comfortable and less stressful. Since he needed very little sleep, and in his earlier life had been used to working at night, he took to wandering the halls of the bunker in the wee hours.
As he walked, musing over nothing in particular, he became aware of a distinctive odor, a scent that he knew very well. It had been omnipresent during the six-day war, but he hadn't detected it for some time now except when he passed through the infirmary. But he wasn't anywhere near that wing, so where could it be coming from now?
His senses sharpened and his pace quickened. His instincts told him that something was wrong.
In this part of the base the tunnels were a dim labyrinth. The mech lab was not too far away, and most of the rooms in this area were used for storage. There shouldn't have been too many people roaming around, especially at that time of night, but that metallic scent had to be coming from somewhere - or someone...
He rounded a corner, and nearly tripped over a man lying on the floor. If Walter hadn't already been expecting the worst, he might have assumed it was one of the GAR Streeters passed out drunk.
But even in the dim light, the red splash on the wall was unmistakable. This was why he had been smelling blood. And the poor fool at his feet was most certainly not going to wake up from his stupor.
Walter hurried along the passageway. He passed two open doors, and in each room a sleeping inhabitant had had his neck slashed. He was beginning to wonder if Jack the Ripper had passed through when he saw another body splayed out in a side hallway. This one still had the murder weapon embedded in his upper back.
A kunai... Walter thought. So it's a ninja we're dealing with. This isn't good.
Kneeling down to inspect the weapon, Walter got a better look at the man's face and recognized Larry from the mech lab. He must have been struck down by the thrown kunai as he tried to flee, and his face was still etched with fear. Walter felt sorry for him, knowing that he had been a friend of Starry's boyfriend Raef and that he had never been much of a fighter. Against a skilled opponent he would have had stood no chance, even of escaping.
As Walter was about to stand up and step over Larry's body, he heard a soft whimpering sound. Looking more closely, he realized that there were tears coming from Larry's terrified eyes. Somehow, it seemed, he had survived his encounter with the ninja.
"Help..." Larry whispered through his sobs, "Please help me..."
Walter furrowed his brow. There was no question that this man needed medical attention to stay alive, and the sooner the better. But whoever had attacked him and killed the others was still somewhere in the base. In the time it took to summon a doctor, the intruder would have the chance to kill countless others. Even bringing a doctor out into the open would put valuable personnel in danger. And Walter couldn't even consider sounding a general alarm, since having a multitude of sleepy, confused and panicking people out and about would only make the ninja's job easier.
No, the only thing Walter could do was keep moving, as silently as possible, and take the intruder out himself.
"Stay where you are and don't move," he quietly instructed the prostrate man. "Don't remove the kunai or you'll bleed out faster. I swear I'll come back for you after I kill whoever did this to you."
Larry sniffled but didn't object. Knowing that he was now racing against the clock, Walter continued his search with renewed determination.
Another body, and another. Walter couldn't even stop to see if the men were still alive. They were simply stones in the path, guiding him toward the killer.
He heard a muffled scream, silenced as quickly as it began. It was close, and Walter moved swiftly toward the sound. A moment later he was at the open door of the mech workshop, and cautiously peered inside.
Within the dim expanse of the large room, a lamp illuminated a small area to one side. By its light Walter saw the limp body of the blonde female mechanic - Winry, was it? - slump onto the workbench, the blood flowing from the new gash in her throat slowly spreading over her unfinished blueprints. Behind her a dark figure released its grasp on her and slowly raised itself up.
She picked the wrong night to work late, Walter thought, before turning his attention more fully to the person standing behind her.
Without waiting to see if the ninja would notice his presence, Walter decided to confront him head-on. Quickly striding into the room and closing the door behind him, he spoke deferentially but confidently: "Pardon me, sir, but might I humbly request that you stop killing people? You're making quite a mess."
Looking up only long enough to acknowledge the interruption, the ninja swooped toward Walter with his kunai extended. But the old man was still quite agile, and easily evaded the strike.
The ninja came to rest and narrowed his eyes. So, this one was different from the pawns he'd dispatched so far.
"Really, sir, you could save yourself and me both a lot of trouble if you'd just put an end to this and go back from whence you came," Walter tried again.
"I will put an end to this... when you're all dead," the ninja retorted, flinging his kunai at Walter. Once again he sensed them coming and nimbly dodged them.
The ninja sized the old man up, and then a look of realization came to his face. "Wait, I know you... A butler, right? You were in Comdot back then. Yes, with Ozzal's daughter. I heard that you had disappeared with her. So this is where you ran off to."
"You have a remarkable memory," Walter said with an indulgent smile. "Yes, you have that all quite right. My name is Walter C. Dornez. And if I am not mistaken, you're that Uchiha fellow that Head Governor Ozzal employed to take care of some of her dirty business."
"Yes, that's right," Itachi said evenly.
"So sorry to hear about your family all that time ago. Dreadful business, wasn't it."
Itachi's eyebrow twitched slightly. "Dreadful, indeed."
"I suppose this is quite a nostalgia trip for you," Walter said pleasantly. "But I'm afraid you won't be able to get as far as you did that time. One way or another, I'm going to stop you right here."
"You think you can kill me, old man?" Itachi challenged.
"Well, it doesn't have to come to that. I'd like it better if you'd just go away. The young mistress doesn't like me fighting, you see."
"It must be sad for a man like you, living your life as a dog on a little girl's leash," Itachi said with a sneer. "But if you're not going to fight, it'll be that much easier for me to put you out of your misery."
"Yes, well, as it happens, the young mistress is not here." Walter flashed a slightly wicked grin. "And I wouldn't dream of disturbing her slumber for a triviality like asking permission."
Itachi smiled. So the dog wasn't totally neutered after all. "All right then, old man. If you think you can stop me, let's see what you've got."
Itachi assumed a ready stance, brandishing two new kunai, as Walter unleashed the wires he kept hidden in his sleeves. For several moments the two of them simply looked at each other intently, reading each other's body language and waiting to see who would flinch first.
Finally Walter went on the attack, bringing one of his arms forward and whipping a set of wires toward his opponent. Itachi easily jumped out of the way, but the wires attached to Walter's other hand were waiting to intercept him. Itachi deflected those wires with a kunai and reached out to slash at Walter's exposed neck. The old man ducked out of the way, and managed to loop a wire around one of Itachi's feet. After momentarily being pulled off-balance, the ninja seemed to flicker and then appeared behind Walter, prompting him to do some evasive acrobatics of his own.
"I see you're going to drag this out and make me work," Itachi said as the two of them came to rest again.
"On the contrary, I'd like to finish this as quickly as possible," Walter answered.
"That makes two of us."
Despite their stated desires, the confrontation went on for several minutes. Each time one combatant seemed to gain an advantage, the other would counter it with equal speed and dexterity. When Itachi threw kunai at Walter, the old man dodged them or caught them with wires and swung them back at him. When Walter wrapped his wires around some part of Itachi's body, the ninja poofed away or replaced his trapped body with some readily available piece of machinery. While Itachi was undoubtedly the stronger of the two, Walter was his match in craftiness and versatility.
Once again the two of them separated and paused to catch their breath.
"So... your physical combat abilities haven't slowed down with age, I see," Itachi said.
"Well... maybe just a little," Walter said modestly.
"I wanted to avoid resorting to this, but I think you've wasted enough of my time. So for the sake of getting this over with..."
"Resorting to what, if I might ask?" Walter interrupted.
Itachi's red eyes glinted cruelly as he finished his sentence. "...Tsukuyomi."
The room turned crimson in an instant. Walter had the sensation of falling into a vast red expanse, like sinking in an endless pool of blood. Looking up he saw a gigantic red moon silhouetting a flock of flying crows. It reminded him of something he had seen before.
Peering intently around him, he tried to discern where his adversary had gone. But he saw no sign of Itachi, until a long blade suddenly pierced his back and ran him through.
Walter screamed involuntarily. He felt a sensation of incredible pain, but upon reflection it seemed somehow... artificial.
As the blade withdrew from his body, he heard Itachi's smoothly taunting voice in his ear. "How does that feel? Agonizing, isn't it?"
Walter didn't answer, and Itachi took the opportunity to stab him again, and then again.
The ninja braced his foot against Walter's back, and shoved him forward as he pulled the sword out. Walter collapsed onto his hands and knees, gasping for breath.
"You may be a master in your own world, but you're in my world now. And you're going to be enduring a lot more of this until you finally can't take it anymore. I don't even think I'll have to go the full seventy-two hours."
Walter was breathing too heavily to speak. Seventy-two hours? That's more than enough time for someone to find us down here. If I can keep him busy for that long... he thought.
Itachi laughed quietly. "Of course, that's seventy-two hours for you, in here. Out there, less than a second will have passed. And then I'll be back to my mission, and you'll be dead."
Walter grimaced. Holding out in this place for seventy-two hours would be a bother, but at least Larry wouldn't have to wait too long for aid in the real world.
Three blades appeared out of nowhere and struck Walter through the torso. He grunted, coughing up blood.
"While we're here though, I might as well have some fun," Itachi continued.
The blades shattered, sending shrapnel slicing through Walter's body. This must be what it feels like to be slashed up by my wires... he thought, wincing.
As if on cue, a multitude of impossibly thin wires materialized around him and wrapped around his chest. Rather than severing his body, they simply constricted tighter and tighter, inflicting innumerable paper-cut-like incisions on his skin and squeezing all of the breath out of his lungs. For an agonizingly long time Walter couldn't breathe at all, and he had to force himself not to get woozy.
"Any time you want to end the torment, feel free to go ahead and die," Itachi said condescendingly.
The wires finally loosened, and Walter's body heaved to the ground as he gasped for breath. The ninja reacted to his physical distress with a smug cackle.
"If... I did that... I'd miss out... on all of these creative... methods of torture..." Walter finally got out in between gulps of air.
The cackling stopped abruptly. "What... did you say?"
"That's not to mention these marvelous special effects," Walter added, beginning to get his breathing under control. "Have you ever thought about going into filmmaking?"
Itachi started as he realized what was happening. What? My genjutsu isn't controlling him... How is that possible? He doesn't have a Sharingan... How is he still able to think?
As if sensing the confusion in Itachi's mind, Walter began laughing. It began as a smug chuckle and grew into something triumphant.
"So this is your scheme, boy? You create a world of hell around me and expect me to believe in it? And you think by believing it I'll be overcome by it, and then you'll be able to break me?"
Itachi watched incredulously as Walter lurched to his feet and then turned to level a glare straight at him, his monocle glinting menacingly.
"Let me tell you something, boy. I have looked into the eyes of Hell itself, and did not blink or falter. So what makes you think your visual tricks will scare me?"
"Visual... tricks?" Itachi growled. His frustration at the apparent failure of his infallible technique was turning quickly to anger in the face of his opponent's mockery.
"That's all this is, isn't it? An illusion? An apparition? A world of the mind? If none of this is real, then you can cut me all you like and it won't really hurt me. And, well, if this is having an effect on my real body, then at least I can cut you down too before I fall."
"No, you can't," Itachi retorted. "There isn't a thing you can do to me - in here or out there. I told you, this is my world. And out there your body is immobilized until I release -"
Without waiting to hear more, Walter lunged forward toward the ninja, moving instinctively as if his trusty wires were there waiting to respond to their master's wishes. With razor-sharp intent, he threw all of his determination into a dual slash at Itachi's neck.
And then the red mist, the blood moon, and the crows all vanished as quickly as they had been summoned. Walter found himself back in his real body, still standing with his arms extended, the metal wires attached to his hands gently wafting downward. Before him Itachi's body slumped to its knees and then to the ground. The severed head rolled to its resting place, still looking back at Walter with an expression of disbelief.
Somehow, despite what Itachi had expected, Walter's body had responded to his willpower within the nightmare world, and in that split-second the real world had trumped the world of the mind.
Walter's relief at finding himself back in familiar surroundings quickly gave way to a strange mental and physical anguish, and he fell to his knees, clutching his throbbing head.
What's happening? That wasn't real, was it? he thought. He felt his torso and found that he in fact hadn't been impaled.
It was just an illusion... just... a...
His senses reeling, he looked around and tried to get his bearings. His wavering vision settled on the blonde mechanic lying on the workbench.
Larry... I have to get help...
He forced himself to his feet and stumbled toward the workshop door. Leaning on the doorframe, he noticed an intercom mounted to the wall. Barely knowing what he was doing, he started mashing buttons until he got a response.
"Hello? Is someone there?" Kittan's voice answered through the speaker.
It was an effort for Walter just to make words. "The workshop... outside, in the hall... Larry... intruder..."
Walter's hand slipped and his legs gave out. As his consciousness faded, he only barely heard the rest of what Kittan said through the intercom.
"Hey wait, say that again? An intruder in the workshop? Hey you guys, get down there and see what's going on with Larry..."
Chapter 59 author's notes:
Recurring characters:
Michelle Ozzal - Mike Lazzo
*Starry Ozzal - starryjelly
*Foley S. Goode - Foley_is_Good_149
Larry Zorin - LAZY17
*Raef Compton - Maenos
Itachi Uchiha - Naruto
Kagetoki Kariya - Samurai Champloo
Walter Dornez - Hellsing
Winry Rockbell - Fullmetal Alchemist
Kittan - Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann
* Characters marked with an asterisk are mentioned but do not take an active part in the story.