Rebellious Duo (#Wattys2016)

11: Just Like Fencing

Kaine's eyes opened. She felt groggy, and her vision was blurred around the edges. Slowly the world came back into focus, as did her senses. She was bound to a chair with leather straps around her body. A man in a tuxedo was standing over her, grumbling to himself. "Stupid blighters. They thought they could trick me? But their leader is down. They can't do anything."

"You're the one who created the drug."

The man noticed that she was awake and looked at her. "Heh. Tell me something I don't know." He took a step closer to her. She felt sickened that he was revelling in his victory of tying her down.

"Are you one of the Divine Skulls? I know they were testing different drugs. Perhaps this was just one of their missions." Kaine tried to keep her voice steady as she could.

"That's a typical observation, I suppose. I expected better of you." He lowered his head to hers. "But yes, I was a member of that group. I was the only one with potential. You understand, don't you? You don't want to serve a group, you want to be in control of your own destiny. They were going to use my drug as their own, the one that I created! I have my ideals, I couldn't be held back by them!" His voice rose passionately. "I gathered the information that I required during my time with them. I perfected my drug with a reactant that nobody would ever think to use. A simple fruit."

Kaine clenched her teeth furiously. "And you experimented on sailors because they were easy pickings."

"Of course. Brilliant, no?"

"Disgusting."

He smiled. "That's your weakness. You can't be a proper detective if you truly care about someone. But I must admit, things are getting much more interesting now that you're here."

"What do you mean?"

"I read about you in the papers, you know. You may be my intellectual equal. So when I learned that you took up this case, I knew I had to find you. Think of it, an army that embraces my ideals that takes care of worthless commoners without a pedigree. And on top of that, to have the added intelligence of a mastermind." His eyes widened maddeningly. "With your brain, I can unlock so much more. I can modify everything to my advantage. I'll be the smartest man in history!"

Kaine tugged against her leather bonds. She had to get out, she had to find Nori. He said he had taken a leader down. Did that mean Nori was trying to rescue her? She tried to get her hands free. "You can't make me do anything," she snarled at him. "You can't force me. People have tried before, but it's never worked. My mind isn't like yours at all."

"No. You're far too stubborn, I agree." The man grabbed her chin. Kaine suddenly remembered Akira doing the same thing, just gentler. Her heart raced at the memory. She wished that she had her revolver with her. "Kaine Kiln, please relax. Let the anesthesia do the work." He placed a mask over her mouth. Kaine helplessly took quick shallow breaths. The metallic taste filled her mouth.

"N-nitrous... oxide... light... headed... "

There was a loud noise from behind the man. But Kaine's vision was fuzzy again. Some figures had come in and started to attack. While the man was distracted, someone pushed the hilt of a retractable dagger into Kaine's shirt, slipping it under the collar carefully. "Use it when you wake up. We can't hold them off for long." Something soft brushed Kaine's forehead. Before she knew it, the drug had done its work, and she thought no more.

-- TEN MINUTES EARLIER--

Nori snapped a bright red fan open and held it in front of her face, mostly to avoid eye contact with the other guests. She peered over the top of the lace with a fake-dignified expression. "You bloody idiot, you don't hold it like that," Nao whispered in her ear.