Lupin The Third: The Beast of Lykanisches

Chapter 26

Three days prior:

"We didn't walk away from that Stardust job with nothing," says Lupin.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, those Stardust files weren't the only thing in that tower. There was something else. An envelope, with my name on it. And this..." Lupin holds up the thumb drive for his partners to see.

"But what is it?"

"Why don't we turn on your laptop and find out?" says Lupin. Then, with something of a soft, determined smile. "But I think I already have an inkling." He pushes the thumb drive into the USB slot on Jigen's laptop. A popup window prompts him to run the video. Lupin accepts.

The woman on screen is instantly recognizable, not in the least because she is the spitting image of her eldest daughter; or rather Ruby's sister, Diana, is the spitting image of their mother. If Ruby resembles her spunky and crimson-haired father, then Diana could be a dead ringer for their angelic-looking mother.

Lupin whistles appreciatively. For this, he receives a pair of sharp glares from his comrades, who really do not believe now is the time for such behavior. But a more careful study of Lupin's expression reveals not the lustful gaze of a perverted, catcalling Casanova, but the respectful and enamored look of a man awed by a heavenly visage.

Blonde haired and fair of skin, Delilah Robinson shares most traits with her eldest daughter, though both daughters have inherited the woman's sapphire eyes. But Delilah's expressions, particularly the quirk of her lips, are very reminiscent of Ruby's own. The woman draws a slow breath, as though steeling herself for what she knows she must say.

"Lupin the Third," she says with a slight hitch in her voice. It almost seems as though she is in disbelief at herself over whom she is addressing. "My name is Delilah Robinson. If you are watching this, then you have already met my daughter, Ruby."

Lupin nods solemnly, though the woman on screen cannot see.

"I'm sure you are curious why, tucked away in that lonely tower amongst the Stardust files, we hid an envelope with your name on it. My husband's schemes date back to just before the skirmish, before ACCSA fell. But the writing was already on the wall and he enacted the only contingency he could think of. If you have made it this far, I congratulate you. For you have successfully achieved that which we could not. I hope you've found it in your heart to rid the world of what you discovered, and that your conscience – which my husband so often insists you do, in fact, possess – forbade you from profiting off so volatile a substance.

"Doubtless you are wondering what more there is to say to you, the reason for this last message, and why it is I who addresses you in place of my husband. The reason is simple." And yet, she hesitates as though it causes her a small amount of vexation to admit what she says next. "Gabriel tells me that our last desperate plea to you should come from a woman's lips for... reasons..." This manner of speech, in particular, resembles her youngest daughter's. "Your soft spot for women perhaps will permit you to lend an ear to the favor with which I am about to task you, for it is one you might otherwise balk at, for the thing itself is no doubt terribly risky in your mind."

Delilah pauses for a breath, steeling herself once more. Then, continues; "Perhaps you have wondered just why it is that even after witnessing the terrible side effects of Stardust and the horrible, inhumane experiments conducted by Herzog von Aderlass that my husband and I would continue, in secret, to perfect the serum."

"Why, indeed?" murmurs Goemon.

"For the love of a child," Delilah answers, as though she can hear the samurai's words. "A terrible disease runs in my family," she explains. "One that affects the heart. My aunt and my elder sister both died of it. And when they were born, Gabriel and I had both our daughters tested for the particular gene which causes this disease."