--By Youko Fujima
Persia: How long has he been sleeping?
Birman: One month, sir.
Youji: (thought) Who…?
Persia: …Wake him up.
Manx: Yes sir.
(A shock goes through Youji’s body.)
Youji: Ah! (Opens his eyes) Where…?
(He is dressed in white pajamas in a white room with only one door.)
Youji: (Looks around confused.)
(A screen on the wall in front of his bed flickers on, showing a static image of Persia’s face.)
Persia: Good morning, Kudo.
Youji: Where am I?
Persia: In a room.
Youji: (gets pissed about the joke) Who are you people?! Where’s Asuka?!
(A shock hits him in the back of his neck.)
Youji: Ah…! (He feels the back of his neck and finds a small computer chip implanted there.) This is…?!
Persia: Calm down, Kudo, and I will explain it to you.
(Youji eyes him suspiciously.)
Persia: You are in the underground compound of my division, in a rehab room. My name is Persia.
Youji: "Persia…?"
Persia: Consider it a code name. Now, Kudo, I have brought you down here to give you the truth, and also to ask a favor.
Youji: The…truth?
Persia: Remember that a month ago, you were ambushed by a group of thugs from a brothel. You were seriously wounded, and…
Youji: (interrupts) Asuka! Where is she?!
Persia: …I’m afraid she’s gone Kudo.
Youji: (thought) "Gone" … (He holds his head and goes through endorphin withdrawal.)
: Ah! (Gets shocked again, bringing him out of it) When will you quit that?! What the Hell is this thing?!
Persia: We’ve implanted a suicide device on you when you first came here, Kudo. You now have three choices.
Youji: (Holding his the back of his neck, glares.)
(A small compartment in the wall opens, dumping out a small bottle of fluid.)
Persia: The bottle contains a form of sedative, you can choose to drink it and we will erase all memory you have of this, and you can go back to your normal life, or…
(A gun ejects from the same compartment.)
Persia: You can kill yourself right here if you can’t comprehend all this. And the third choice: Go through that door and become my dog. Make your choice, or I can kill you through other means myself.
(Youji gets off the bed and looks at the objects on the ground, turns his head to the door, then to the screen.)
Youji: … (his hand goes to the bottle, and he smashes it to the ground.)
Persia: !
(Youji takes the gun next to him and shoots the screen.)
Persia: (through the speakers) Impressive expression of anger, Kudo. But that gun had only on bullet. Are you going to choose the 3rd choice or die?
(The room begins to freeze over.)
Youji: (laughs) Become your dog?! Don’t make me laugh… (Goes over to the corner of the bed and crouches with his knees up) Nope… I like it riiiiight here…
Persia: Did I tell you that if you were to join me, you would get what you desire most?
Youji: …what I…desire most?
Persia: That’s right.
Youji: I want… The truth! (Stands up)
Persia: Smart choice, Kudo.
(Youji proceeds to open the door.)
Persia: Welcome to my world.
(Time passes)
Birman: Here’s the base.
Youji: A flower shop?
Birman: We find it to be much easier this way.
Youji: … (opens the doors and goes in)
Omi: Hello~~~~~! ^o^
Youji:! (A look of strange surprise.)
Omi: I’m Omi, I’ve already heard a lot about you, Youji-kun! (Holds out his hand.)
Youji: Aa… (Shakes Omi’s hand)
Ken: (from outside) Omi! Omi! (Bangs on the metal doors) Open up! Hey! (Opens the door) Man…!!
(Ken sees Youji, runs over to him and punches him.)
Ken: What are you doing here?! Who are you!? Who sent you!?
Omi: Ken… Ken-kun! Wait! This is Youji Kudo, the new one!
Ken: Oh…sorry…here. (Sticks out his hand to Youji.)
Youji: … (rubs his cheek and takes Ken’s wrist) Ha! (Pins Ken down in one swift motion.)
Ken: Kya!
Youji: (gets up) Now I’ve paid you back, I can say hello. Name’s Youji Kudo.
Ken: (growls)
Manx: Are we starting to fight right in the morning? Come on! What a bunch of little boys.
Ken: … (hangs head in embarrassment)
Youji: Who are you?
Manx: I’m Manx, one of Persia-sama’s secretaries, along with Birman.
Youji:…
Manx: This is Omi Tsukiyono (points at Omi), also known as "Bombay." And that’s Ken Hidaka, "Siberian."
Youji: (thought) Cat breeds…?
Manx: But enough with the introductions, I need you to come with me Youji. The car is waiting outside.
(They exit.)
Omi: Did you see his neck, Ken-kun?
Ken: Yeah…he’s the only one with the suicide device we’ve heard about…
(On the car)
Manx: We are first going to your house to clear up a few things.
Youji: (startled) My house?
Manx: Don’t worry, we won’t harm your parents.
(At the house.)
Manx: You stay in the car with Birman. (She takes out a small box.)
(Manx goes up to the house and rings the doorbell. A middle-aged woman comes out; she looks very graceful yet worried about something.)
Manx: Mrs. Kudo?
Mrs. Kudo: Yes?
Manx: (holds the box within her two hands) I’m sorry to have to bring this up, but… These are the remains of your son.
Youji: (hears it)!! Mother..! (Starts to get up)
Birman: Don’t move.
(She holds a pistol up to Youji’s head.)
Birman: This is for your own good. Would you like your mother to get her son back and lose him again? Decide.
Youji: … (pained expression; sits down.)
(Manx enters the car again.)
Youji: You…
Manx: Now we’re going to the base to get you your weapon and first mission.
(At the basement of Koneko Sumu Ie.)
Birman: Here’s your weapon. (Hands Youji a watch.)
Youji: A watch?
Manx: Press the button.
(Youji presses the button and a wire comes out.)
Youji: How do I use this?
Manx: You’ll know when the time comes. Your earring is a transmitter. It’s needed because you’re a rookie. Persia-sama will be able to instruct you through them. If you are to disobey, your suicide device will trigger.
Birman: Good luck. (Smiles strangely)
(That night during the mission.)
Ken: Youji, Omi and I are going to go and get the disks, you hold down the fort for us, okay?
Omi: Be careful, Youji-kun!
(Omi and Ken exit, shutting the steel door behind them.)
(Youji is left standing in the corridors of the executive building.)
Man: (from the distance) There they are! Intruders!
Youji: Damn!
Man 2: It’s just a cat burglar.
Man 3: Kill him anyway! He should have comrades! Go and look for them!
Youji: (comes in front of them at the door) I won’t let you pass through here!
Man: Get him!!
(Youji begins to fight them, but he’s not using his wires.)
Persia: (through the transmitter) Kudo, what are you doing?! Use your weapon! Leave no living body!
Youji: What…?! You’re telling me to…
Persia: Kill them, Kudo!
Youji: What?! No…
Persia: Kudo, I am warning you…
Youji: …!
Persia: (shouts) Kudo!!
Youji: (eyes open widely, screams) YAAAAAA---------! (Pulls out his wires)
Aya-chan: Ran-Ani! Come on!
Ran: It’s really late…
Aya: That’s why I’m telling you to hurry up!
(Youji lashes his wires out, teeth clenched.)
Aya-chan: Look! Ran-Ani, it’s snowing!
Ran: (raises his hand to catch the snowflakes) First snow of the season… (Smiles)
(Youji’s face is splattered with blood, he lashes out again.)
Ran: What would you like for dinner, Aya-chan?
Aya-chan: How about beef stew?
Ran: Okay, I got some beef on the way to picking you up.
(The two walk down the sidewalk.)
(Youji is seen, in the corridors, with loose wires in hand. His head is down, looking at the mutilated corpses on the ground. He pants heavily.)
Persia: Good work, Kudo. The others are on their way.
(The transmitter fizzes and blips out.)
Youji: (sweat drips from his face)…
Ken: (enters, opening the door with force) Youji…! (He stops and gasps.)
(Youji snaps out of his trance-like state. Brows creased; he grabs his own arms and clenches his teeth.)
Omi: Youji-kun!
(Youji falls to his knees, splashing blood. He grabs his head and screams, but no sound comes out.)
Persia: Birman, do you think that it was a mistake to let a Pisces on the team?
Birman: …No, sir.
(The snow comes down harder.)
Aya-chan: Ran-Ani! Let’s go!
Ran: I’m the one carrying all the groceries!
(Youji covers his face with his bloodstained gloves.)
(The snow can be seen through the windows of the corridors. Youji is still on his knees, lamenting over something.)
Youji: (voice over) Someday… I’ll regain my love.
(END)
