TNG: Iblis, the First Hero

Chapter 12: The Man With the Mechanical Arms

The Man with the Mechanical Arms

Cid slowly forced his eyes open. When his vision adjusted, he quickly realized that he was strapped to a chair in the middle of a warehouse. His sluggish responses and the needle in his arm led to the realization that he was being drugged. He tried to reach for the needle, but the shackles that kept him tied to the chair prevented that.

Where am I? He asked himself as he slowly looked around. My neck feels sore... Scratch that... My entire body feels sore, he mused as he recalled the events that got him in his current predicament.

"That's right, I got blown up," he mumbled aloud.

"So you are awake?" A figure asked from the shadows.

Cid watched as the figure emerged. He was a middle-aged, Asian man with close-cut jet black hair. His slightly rotund belly was hidden behind an impeccable black suit with a white shirt and black tie.

"My name is Hidate Hiragazawa. Do you know why you are here?" he asked Cid.

It was at that moment that Cid realized that his mask had been removed. He could feel the terror seeping in as he realized that the so-called most dangerous crime boss in Crystal Springs now knew his face.

"But you already know my name, don't you, Iblis?" Hiragazawa continued as he slowly approached Cid. "That's what my sources are calling you. I must admit, I was highly disappointed to find out that the 'orange and black superhero' is just a kid. A gifted kid, yes, probably neohuman, but a kid nonetheless."

Cid watched as several more figures emerged from the shadows and blocked all the exits.

"Do you know what happens to people who mess with my business, Iblis?" Hiragazawa asked as he unsheathed a katana.

Cid found himself unable to respond, the drugs making it increasingly difficult to move anything.

"Of course you don't understand. Well I'm going to show you now," he said as he raised the katana above his head, with the blade facing downwards.

Cid saw his life flash before his eyes as the blade descended down upon his head. He commented on how he had never kissed a girl, how he hadn't gotten the chance to say goodbye to his parents, how he had gotten himself killed on the first week of the job. King... I'm sorry, he mumbled in his head.

But as he was finishing his goodbyes, the blade stopped centimeters from his face. He looked up at the katana, which had been stopped by a metal hand, which was attached to a cable than ran high into the darkened ceiling.

"Wagner!" Hiragazawa shouted as he let go of the sword and screamed at the end of the cable above him. Cid watched as the metal hand released the katana and retreated to the ceiling.

Another figure emerged from the darkened roof, landing on the ground with enough force to place a small crater in the flooring. As the dust settled, Cid noticed that it was a bald Caucasian man of average height and build. However, Cid quickly noticed that both of his arms had replaced at the elbow with somewhat large mechanical contraptions that resembled arms with barrels wrapped around them.

"What is the meaning of this, Wagner?" Hiragazawa bellowed. The men blocking the exits began to close on the man who had descended from the ceiling.

"I have a better idea," Dr. Wagner declared.

"You will pay for your insolence, Wagner!" Hiragazawa shouted.