After the Red Sunset

Chapter 3

Yuto Nakamura carefully placed the water pitcher on the work bench before sinking into a chair, face buried in his hands. It had all been for nothing, absolutely nothing. Taking a deep breath he looked around the room. Dried, withered petals littered the surface of the bench before him. He reached out to stroke the stem of a plant, only for it to crumble as the tip of his finger touched it. He watched as another plant begun to dry and crack, feeling hopelessness overcome him. When Pandora opened the box gifted to her by the Gods, she became scared by what was released. Fearful, Pandora closed the box as fast as she could only to seal the last gift, Hope, inside.

What a fool I was to believe I had discovered her last gift, he thought ruefully.

The water pitcher had been one of the very few objects the latest expedition team had recovered from Hell's Gate. Nakamura had been unable to find any anomalies in the object, that was until he used it. He felt himself shake as he recalled a dry, neglected pot plant which kept him company during his stay at PANDORA. How the little plant had come back to full life in front of his eyes as he watered it with the pitcher. Brown leaves had changed to brilliant green before him and the crumbling stem became strong once more. And he knew were PANDORA to discover this break through, the research would never see the light of day. He imagined the good he could do with this, imagined the hope he could bring people. So he did not tell anyone of his discovery and, at the first opportunity, left PANDORA along with the water pitcher.

Painstakingly, he had conducted numerous tests on plants. When his theory proved correct, he moved onto more complex organisms. His eyes moved to a bird cage in the corner of the room, at it's bottom a still lump of pale feathers. Pandora's last gift was indeed hope, but it was false hope.

A shadow flicked past the window and he jumped. Just a cat he thought, steadying himself. Resigned, he lent back in his chair, staring at the ceiling, listening to the slow drip of the tap by the sink. He heard a crackle and the room was suddenly plunged into darkness. His body went rigid but he stayed sitting silently in the dark room. If they had come for him, then there was nothing he could do now.

******

"There is a man," Yin's toneless voice whispered in Hei's ear. "He is in the lab."

"Describe him to us, Yin." Mao's voice now sounded in his earpiece.

There was a pause. "He is young."

"A little more description would be appreciated, Yin." Huang snapped. Hei could hear him muttering something unkind under his breath.

Another pause. "He is sad."

"Huang." Hei interrupted before the ex-detective could scold the Doll again. "Nakamura was described to be in his sixties."

"This doesn't change your objective, get in there and get that pitcher."

Hei pulled his mask down as he jumped silently from his hiding place. He ran through the shadows cast by the buildings. Stealthily approaching the door, he sent a jolt of electricity through the handle, short -circuiting the security system. The door opened with no resistance. Shrouded by darkness the Black Reaper entered the lab.

******

"I was wondering when you would come for it." A quiet voice said. "Tell me, did you allow me to leave because you knew it's powers?" The man sat staring at the ceiling. "If you have come to kill me, I have saved you the trouble."

"What are you talking about?" Hei harsh voice was loud in the quiet room.

The man now looked at him and Hei could see his eyes were dead. "So, you didn't know..." the man said more to himself. "I spent the last ten years of my life researching Gate artifacts, wishing that I could find the Hope left inside Pandora's Box. And that last gift turned out to be the most cruel."