How The Sakura Blooms

Chapter 18 - Success?

Kaika freezes up, feeling her muscles beginning to tense up. 'Crap... we're caught..' She thinks to herself.

"Just be cool. I'll handle it." Emiko whispers before they turn around, "Yes? What seems to be the problem? We're trying to get our job done." Emiko says in a professional manner.

A tall, husky built man in a head security's uniform stands before them. He looks Emiko and Kaika up and down, "Hm.. The problem is that I've never seen you two around here before."

"Well that would make sense considering today is our first day on the job." Emiko replies quickly and smartly. "And we would really like to keep this job so that after highschool we can pay for college, so please, can we return to work, we're to escort these two defective prototypes to the deactivation room immediately."

The head security officer thinks about it for a moment and then nods, "All right then, carry on, but don't let me catch you two causing any trouble around here. I know how teenagers are." He huffs turning around and heading down the hall.

"Phew, that... was... really close." Kaika says letting out a breath she'd been holding in nervously.

"Nice, quick thinking Emiko, that was good." Rin compliments.

Mori nods in agreement, "Now, I think the deactivation room is just this way." He says leading the rest of them.

They walk down a long hallway passing multiple doors on either side of them until they reach a center door at the end of the hall with a plaque that reads 'Deactivation Room: Authorized Personal Only'.

Kaika attempts to open the door before realizing there is an automatic keypad beside it. "This looks like a job for you Mori." She says stepping aside.

Mori puts his hand on the keypad and in a few moments the door makes a 'click-click' sound as the automated lock is unlocked.

Kaika pushes the door open, and she slips inside. Her eyes widen as she enters the room, "What in the hell..." she says astonished at what lies before her. She slowly walks forward looking around at the dozens of large green tubes that line either side of the room.

"What is it Kaika? What's in th-" Emiko stops midsentence as she pushes through the door seeing for herself whats behind it. "Whoa, this is really weird.."

Rin and Mori trail inside closing the door behind them as Kaika walks up to the closest tube. "There's... people inside..." Kaika says in a tone that shows how weirded out she is by these surroundings.

"Not people, cyborgs." Rin says nonchalantly, correcting her. "We had to come from somewhere you know."

"Yeah but this... looks like something out of an alien movie." Kaika continues furrowing her brow.

"As weird as it is, it's still pretty cool. But, cool or not, we came here for a reason and we're losing time."

"He'd probably be in one of these things right?" Kaika asks pointing at the tubes. Rin nods "Yep, better start looking through 'em." "And fast." Mori adds.

"Right." Kaika and Emiko say in unison with a nod. The four of them divide the tubes equally and begin quickly searching.

"Nope."
"Uh-huh."
"Not here."
*Simple shake of the head*

Just when the quartet have gone through almost all of the tubes. "Ah-hah!" Emiko exclaims pointing at one of the tubes in the farther left corner of the room, "He's in here!"

Kaika rushes over with the two boys behind her. She puts her hands on the tube looking up at Sebastian who looks asleep. "Sebastian..." she says in a low voice.

"He's alright." Rin says putting his hand on her shoulder. "Now that we've found him, we just need to get him out of that, and out of here."

Emiko and Rin circle around the tube trying to find a way to open it. "There's no latch or handle, or anything like that." Emiko says in a disappointed tone. "Maybe, it's just another piece of technology." Kaika says hopeful.

"Think it can be hacked?" Rin asks looking at Mori. "I can try." He says in response as he places his hands on the hinges of the tube, closing his eyes and begins doing what he does best.

After a few minutes an alarm begins to sound causing them all to take a step back. 'SECURITY BREACH; SECURITY BREACH' a loud intercome sounds repeatedly throughout the building as red lights flash.

"Wha- What are we going to do now?" Kaika asks worried. "We can't leave without him." "Well, now that everyone knows we are here." Rin says as his arm retracts inside and turns into a medium sized torch. "Might as well get this done with the easy way." He finishes as he begins melting the hinges on the side of the tube.

In just a few seconds Rin gets the tube open, and as the liquid that was inside spills out onto the floor Sebastian's eyes open. "Took you long enough." He says giving Rin and Mori a sarcastic smirk.

The lights and sirens continue flashing as the doors on either side of the room slam shut and a loud 'ch-chuk' sound is made as they lock themselves. "Now what're we going to do?" Emiko asks, "If we can't get out of here, we're sitting ducks."

Not too far away, they can hear groups of feet running and people yelling. "This way!" A younger male's voice can be heard.

"They're going to bust in here any moment now." Kaika says as she begins walking around, looking for any other way out. "There has got to be another way..." She says lowly under her breath looking behind all the tubes.

"In here!" Another male speaks up from outside one of the doors, followed by loud banging. "Open this door immediately and surrender yourselves, or face harsher consequences."

"What're we going to do?" Emiko asks in a hushed voice, helping Kaika look for a way out. Kaika shakes her head feeling around the walls, "I'm not sure but we can't give up." "Right." Emiko nods in agreement.

"Break the doors down!" Someone demands before both doors leading into the room begin getting pounded on, shaking the room slightly with each hit.

"If we're going to get out of here we should hurry, those doors aren't unbreakable." Sebastian speaks up. "We're trying, but not exactly having the best of luck." Rin responds.

"One, Two, Three!"
*BANG*
"One, Two, Three!"
*BANG*
"Great job, we're almost in, again! One, Two, Three!"
*BANG*
"One more time! One, Two, THREE!"
*BANG*

There's a loud sound as the big metal door on the right side of the room crashes to the floor. A group of men and women dressed as soldiers march quickly inside and begin scanning the room. "Sir." One of the soldiers who appears to be the leader speaks into a walkie on his shoulder, "It appears this room is empty, they must have escaped. I'm... uh... I'm not sure how."