The Solution (2nd Edition)

Xen

Despite the necessity, it was hard to watch what Olaf had done to O-Kenai.

    Nevertheless...he had proven to be the new type of dragon fire which Chon and I had envisaged long ago. More than that, Olaf had liberated all of the Eligible Patrons aboard the conglomerate. All that was needed now, was the same emancipation for members of The Fallen Clans who'd been left down on the surface to perish. Based on this, I was currently in the Dynasty sector, and stood on the other side of an emergency room viewing glass.

    The leaders of The Coalition were, too.

    While I gave off a reluctant vibe, the aura coming from Lee and Stephen was dismissive of what we were witnessing...

    Even worse was the merciless energy emanating from Yan, Anho, Aurora and, Olaf. But to be fair, I couldn't really expect much else.

    The New Japanese politicians and their predecessors had longed to apprehend O-Kenai, whose infamous massacre had once threatened the execution of The Relocation.

    Meanwhile, in pursuit of patriotic retribution for victims of the Presidential Band, the flying eagles of Kazakhstan had sought to lay waste to their prey in which ever way vengeance might present itself.

    To be specific, all of us observed the nano-tec surgeon at work, who had initially attached the trigger to O-Kenai's heart, decades ago.

    However, the surgeon was not alone.

    Stood in close situ, Emo oversaw the last procedure, and had a holoscreen beamed out to document.

    My guess was that the head leaders of the world's gangster clans eagerly awaited the extraction of the infamous multiple trigger, something which would immediately signify the end of The Queen of The Damned's illegitimate rule. But more than that, it would free the family members whose lives were still bound to hers.

    That wasn't everything troubling me though.

    Before the nano-tech surgeon had even started, the senior amputee specialist who'd overseen the rehabilitation of O-Kenai's victims, had also been in, theater... At Olaf's request, the specialist had lopped away O-Kenai's ankles at the break of dawn, which Olaf was now the callous caretaker of.

    Despite all of the sadistic tyranny The Pink Lady had inflicted, this didn't sit right, either. Naturally so, I had to say something. "Olaf, did you really have to cut them off while she's still alive?"

    "Absolutely," he'd said with no remorse, all while holding the cortorized trotters which were attached by a string and bound for resin. "Xen, Ashii did not give my child the same respect, so please do not feel sorry for such a sinner. Instead, remember that every demon has their day. Fate has just decided that today, is hers." As Olaf walked off into the echelons, my attention drifted back to the drama in front of me.

    To Emo's delight, the surgeon rose up from O-Kenai's open chest cavity. Then in slow motion, he raised the detached trigger which had kept The Pink Lady safeguarded for so long. "...Here it is..." he declared with relief.

    In response, Emo just nodded - his wrist still recording.

    "...Okay," the surgeon then breathed, "...time to seal her up, then bring her round for recovery-"

    But as I thought would be the case, Emo began his protest by placing a heavy hand on the surgeon's wrist. "-Doctor, as I'm sure you can appreciate, that will not be necessary..." Domineeringly, he relinquished the trigger from the man's grasp.

    I took a woeful look at Aurora, Anho and Lee stood beside me.

    Naturally, it was only my president who provided any sympathetic dialogue. "Xen, we all knew it would end like this. And we have to make sure she doesn't wake up. Go. I'll tell you when it's done."

    "You're right," I said. "I don't need to see it. Bur regardless of her wrongs, what's about to happen only makes us as bad as her."

    "Xen," Lee said with a heavy heart, "maybe it does. But sometimes, my friend, it is necessary to fight fire with fire..."

    Lee patted my shoulder as we both breathed on the glass and watched Emo's two Yakuza goons as they dragged the surgeon from the surgical space. Thereafter, they returned, and began to dowse O-Kenai in some kind of fluid - which I gathered was, flammable. Consequently, this caused amputated O-Kenai to stir a little. As she came around, Emo furthered proceedings by reaching into his suit jacket. What the burly clansman retrieved from the inner pocket looked like a shotgun cartridge. However, it was far more ominous.

    He flicked the top of it and pressed down.

    A red circular light emanated from it.

    And it was clear to me now that it was no cartridge.

    Finally, Emo tossed the object into the air, and all of us watched as it descended in slow motion.

    Nevertheless, before it landed and ignited O-Kenai's battered body, I broke from Lee.

    Turned on the spot.

    Then walked away, like the stupid son-of-a-bitch everybody knew I was.