PART 4: THE TWO RAIS
Takashi Nakadai was reading over the report on the monitor. Most of the world's leaders had
been reported missing over the last few days. President Bedard was the latest to disappear.
Takashi couldn't help but chuckle. "Weak fools," he said to himself. Takashi had spent the last
year tightening his grip on Japan. As Japan's forty-third true Rai, he was the country's protector.
As Takashi Nakadai, he was their ruler. "Suki! Get in here now!" he screamed to his newlywed
bride. It had taken Takashi some time to get her to calm down after she discovered that he had
transformed himself into a self-styled version of the Rai. It had taken him nearly a year to
convince her to marry him. "Suki!"
"She can't hear you," came a familiar voice from behind him.
"Obadiah," Takashi spoke a split second before the fight broke out.
Obie lept at his foster brother with his sword in hand. Takashi stepped aside and fired a quick
blast of energy from his hand, which Obie blocked with his sword. The sword was melted and
Obie threw it down. He then lunged at Takashi again. A dagger materialized in Takashi's hand and
he plunged it deep into Obie's gut. Obie fell back in pain. The nanites quickly started the healing
process, but the brief halt to the fighting gave them time to speak.
"Now, before I kill you, tell me what the meaning of this assault is," Takashi spoke with great confidence.
"As if you don't know, you honorless beast!" Obie returned.
"So, you wish to claim the title of Rai for yourself. Is that it? I'm afraid that will never happen, dear brother. The next Rai will be my son. Suki is already with child. And my son will not be deprived of the title that I had to fight to regain."
"I could care less about the stupid name, murderer! You know very well why I'm here. How could you do it, Takashi? He was an old man!"
"I'm sorry, false-Rai, but I know not what you speak of."
"Liar! Rentaro Nakadai is dead! You had your own grandfather murdered!"
"What?! Grandfather is dead? No! You lie!"
"Don't try to pull that, Takashi. It's time..." Obie trailed off. His nanites had just confirmed that Takashi was telling the truth. How stupid he had been! He should never have attacked first. And now he was at Takashi's mercy.
"I should kill you where you stand. But I won't. I understand why you attacked me. But you must believe me. I had nothing to do with Rentaro's death. This news is greatly disturbing. I shall seek revenge for my grandfather. His killers will meet the wrath of Rai!" Takashi vowed.
"They already have. I met them in battle. Only one of them got away, but he took Clane and 1A with him."
"Clane? Then that would mean..."
"What? Do you know something?"
"Many of the world's leaders have been abducted in the past few days. If Clane was taken, these crimes may be connected."
"Hmm... you may be right. But if you are, what can we do?"
Suki awoke from unconsciosness. She had been standing in the main room of their building when she heard someone come up behind her. The last thing she remembered seeing was her husband's foster-brother, Obadiah Konishi. What was he doing here? She decided to go check on Takashi. She got up and headed towards Takashi's office. That's when she heard footsteps behind her once again. She turned around half expecting to see Obie coming back to check on her. It wasn't Obadiah.
"Is it possible that these people might come for you, Takashi," Obie asked his brother.
"Oh, I'd say that it's very likely. Look behind you," Takashi replied.
Obie turned to see the door swing open and a man walk in holding Suki with a gun held up to her head. Behind him, many other familiar armed troopers entered the room.
"Takashi Nakadai," spoke one of the troopers, "you must come with us. We will allow you to come peacefully, but we are willing to use force should you choose to decline this offer."
Takashi remained quiet. He looked from the gunman to his wife. Then, without so much as a sound, he formed a dagger in his hand and threw it at the gunman. The gunman dropped.
"Suki! Get out of here!" Takashi screamed as he lunged at the troopers. Obie joined the fight a second later. The troopers tried to fight back but it didn't go so well. The two Rais were all over them.
Suki ran to the back of the room and turned to watch the fight. It wasn't going to well for the bad guys. They were skilled soldiers, but they just couldn't cut against the Rais. She noticed one of the troopers break away from the fight and head towards the side of the room. He must have realized that the battle was hopeless. He turned and started to walk towards Suki.
"Stay away!" she screamed and backed into the corner. The trooper pulled his gun and continued in her direction.
"Takashi, help me!" she yelled. Takashi didn't hear her. He was too engrossed in the fight. Suki didn't know what to do. She didn't have a weapon, and she wouldn't be very effective in a fight now that she was pregnant. In a panic, she turned and ran.
The trooper screamed "Halt!" but she kept on running. She never saw the trooper raise his gun in her direction. She never heard the blast that hit her in the back; the blast that ended her life.
Takashi finished off another opponent and looked towards the door. There were more troopers entering the room. How many of these guys are there, he wondered. It didn't matter. Between him and Obadiah, they didn't stand a chance. Yes, he had to admit that Obie was an excellent fighter. Perhaps if the circumstances were different, he might even have been worthy of the name Rai. Yes, Takashi felt good. And then he checked on Suki. He saw her body lying still on the floor with a charred, smoking whole in the middlle of her back. And suddenly the fight left him. He stopped fighting and just stood there staring at his dead wife.
Obadiah saw Takashi stop fighting and a panic washed over him. Together they could defeat these enemies, but there were just to many of them for him to defeat alone. "Takashi, I could use some helphere," he said, but he got no reply. Takashi was out of it. Two minutes later, the troopers overcame Obie. As they placed the restraints on his wrists, he turned and looked at Takashi. Takashi gave no trouble as the restraints were placed on him as well. That's when Obie followed his brother's stare and saw Suki.
"Oh no," he said quietly. A minute later, the two Rais were led out of the building and onto a waiting air craft.
END PART 4
© 1997 mturner@epix.net
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