Chapter 105
[136]
14 years ago:
“Look Mommy!” Goro Akechi held up a sheet of paper excitedly. “Look what I drew for you!” On the sheet was a crayon drawing of a small stick figure holding hands with a taller one with the word ‘Mom’ scrawled above it.
“That’s nice sweetie.” His mother responded tiredly from the couch, not bothering to look at him. “Mommy’s had a tough day and is going to lie down for a bit. Can you go play in your room for a bit?”
“Oh…” The four year old responded, lowering his drawing, his enthusiasm quickly draining. “Okay.” He walked toward the door in their cramped home that led to his bedroom. Glancing at his mom once more, he saw that she’d already fallen asleep on the couch.
With a sigh, he opened the door and entered his bedroom. Inside the small room was an air mattress, a small dresser, and a handful of toys and books lying on the dirty wooden floor. Goro didn’t enjoy playing very much, instead preferring to spend his time reading the books he could get his hands on. According to his teacher, he was already reading at a level of kids twice his age, a fact he proudly shared with his mom, only to get a similar response to earlier.
As he sat down on his mattress with his head in his hands, he noticed something odd out of the corner of his eye. Sitting between the pages of ‘Robin Hood’, a book he’d gotten during his last trip to the library, there was a corner of a thin object peeking out. Reaching for the object, he pulled it out to reveal a thin book with a colorful cover featuring a man in a bright blue suit and red cape flying over a city.
“Suu...Superman?” He sounded out the words on the front which were written in English.
Intrigued, he opened the book and began to read, immediately entranced by the incredible actions that the costumed man was able to perform. Lifting cars, stopping bad guys, rescuing civilians, he was amazing! Finishing the comic with a new light in his eyes, Goro couldn’t but imagine himself with those amazing powers, saving people with a smile.
A true hero.
Present:
As soon as Akechi spotted the van he was searching for lying stationary, he leapt at it ferociously, tearing through the metal as if it were tissue paper. Only, when he reached the inside, he discovered the vehicle to be empty of any occupants.
“GODDAMMIT!” He cried as he tore the rest of the van apart in a blind rage.
When he finally finished, Akechi was panting heavily, finally having come down from his rage. His tunnel vision began to fade, allowing him to gain awareness of his surroundings. Looking around him in the dark was a series of large metal constructions bent in odd, weaving and spiraling shapes.
“Goro.” A voice sounded inside the young reporter’s head. “Where are we? What are these things?”
‘An...amusement park?’ Akechi thought. ‘Why would they come here? Where-’
Before he could finish his thought, large flood lights suddenly lit up the park, bringing the attractions further into view. Despite this however, there was still no sign of the teens that he’d been chasing. The moment after the lights came on, the various sounds of the park whirred to life, playing the Destinyland theme music throughout the empty park. The sounds of the overly cheery music sung by children echoing off of the walls gave off an eerie, creepy feeling that Akechi didn’t like in the slightest.
As he walked through the empty park, listening to the song continue on a loop, Akechi spotted a silhouette run past him and around a corner.
‘There!’ He thought as he began to pursue the shadow. “When I get my hands on you-” He paused as he rounded the corner, coming to a dead end with nothing but a statue of a cartoon bear with blue fur and a red suit smiling and waving at him.
“Hey kids!” A speaker from the base of the statue played out. “It’s your bear-st pal Teddy! Have a great day and don’t claws any mischief!”
With a growl of contempt, Akechi sharpened one of his claws and used it to lob the head of the statue before walking away.
“Remember to visit your local Junes!” The headless bear called after him.
“They’re definitely here.” The symbiote assured its host. “I can smell them. But the air here is polluted with *sniff* *sniff* grease and *sniff* sweat...I can’t track them unless we get closer.”
“Do we know how many?” Akechi asked.
“Earlier I smelled...six? Maybe seven. Only two spiders, the rest are normal humans.”
“Normal?” He couldn’t help but chuckle. “This will be easier than I thought.”
13 years ago:
“What’s wrong Akechi?” The teacher asked as her student sat quietly at his desk. “It’s your turn to share. What is it that your parents do for a living?”
The 5 year old looked around at the other students staring at him, whispering amongst each other. Instead of responding, the young boy put his head in his arms, hiding away from the others.
“...Okay then.” The teacher clapped her hands together. “Why don’t we move on then?”
Later at recess, while the other kids played with each other on the jungle gym, Akechi sat alone reading a comic book. Of all of the different heroes, Superman was his favorite. A superpowered alien in disguise as a mild-mannered reporter, he loved everything about the character. During arts and crafts, he would draw pictures of himself as the hero and at night he would dream of flying over the city as its protector.
*PTUNK* The sound of a rubber ball colliding with the boy’s head echoed across the playground as he fell to the ground.
“Ow!” Akechi rubbed the side of his head as he pushed himself up off of the ground.
As he did so, a group of kids walked over to him to retrieve their ball, the biggest and meanest of the group standing above him.
“Hey loser! You’re reading? You think you’re so damn smart?”
“W-What?” Goro looked up at them, confused. As he turned toward the teachers who were supposed to be watching the students, he saw one of them glance over at him and the others before turning away to resume their conversation.
“W-What?” One of the other boys repeated him mockingly. “Isn’t he the kid who doesn’t bring lunch to school?”
“Oh really?” The large boy in the center smiled. “Guess he must be pretty hungry then.” He grabbed Goro by the hair and shoved his face into the dirt.
“Eat up!”
Present:
“RAUUUUGH!” Venom roared as his teeth dug into the steel bars separating him from his prey. The metal gate creaked as it strained under the weight of his bite, quickly buckling under the pressure. “I will eat you PIECE BY PIECE!”
“Holy crap dude!” Ryuji yelled as he and Yusuke ran in terror from the creature. The two of them had only barely managed to close the gate to the concession stand before Akechi escaped. “I hate this fucking plan!”
“I know.” Yusuke replied breathlessly. “We just need to lead him into position. From there, the others should be able to do their parts.”
Ryuji turned to his friend and saw him breathing heavily. Unlike him, Yusuke wasn’t built for exercise, in fact, it wouldn’t surprise the blond to hear that this was his first time running. The point they needed to reach was still a long distance from here and Ryuji wasn’t so sure that his friend would make it. Looking around, he spotted something out of the corner of his eye and stopped.
“Ryuji?” Yusuke stopped running as well, looking at his friend curiously. “What is it?” Before the artist could say anything else, he was forced into an alleyway before being shoved into a large metallic object. A dumpster. “What are you doing? This is disgusting!” Yusuke complained as he wiped the trash off of himself.
“He’s tracking our scents, right? Stay here and rub some more trash on yourself. I’ll lead him into position by myself.”
“What!? Ryuji that’s insane!” Yusuke protested, trying to climb out only to be pushed back in by the stronger blond.
“Stay.” Was all he said before running back onto the main path.
“Ryuji! Don’t do this!” Yusuke called out, only to be ignored. “There are used diapers in here!”
“C’mon legs, don’t fail me now.” The former track star said to himself as he looked at his bad knee. The one that Kamoshida had broken. Just as he finished speaking, he saw Venom breaking out of his confinement, angrier than ever. “Oh boy.” He said before taking off toward the target area.
Makoto had explained her plan to them shortly after they arrived in the park. After ensuring that Futaba could take control of the park’s various systems, they’d put the plan in motion. Haru and Morgana had already done their job, breaking into the security office to give Futaba control to the mainframe as well as the camera system. And Ren, Makoto, and Ann were currently where Ryuji was heading to, making preparations for the final phase of the plan.
That just left him, the bait. If he messed up and got caught, not only would he die, but the plan would fail as well. Everything was hinging on him right now. No pressure or anything, right?
“Alright you fucking goo monster.” He said as he took off toward his goal.
“Let’s have ourselves a race.”
12 years ago
Goro raced home from school excitedly, clutched in his right hand was a birthday card he’d gotten signed by his entire class. And in his math quiz today, he’d gotten a 100 percent, the best in the class!
“Hi Mrs. Hanjo!” He waved, greeting his elderly neighbor who was watering her lawn.
“Oh, hello Goro.” She waved back. “You seem especially chipper today.”
“It’s my birthday today!” He replied with a smile, showcasing a few of his missing baby teeth.
“Well, happy birthday!” She smiled back. “How old are you now?”
“Six!” He said, holding up the appropriate amount of fingers.
“Oh my, you’re getting to be quite big, aren’t you? Before you know it, you’ll be a full grown man with a job and kids!”
“I’m not that old!” He laughed before looking over to his house. “I’ve gotta go now. Have a good day!” He waved goodbye before running home.
As he walked in the door, he took off his shoes and backpack setting them in the cubby next to the doorway. Mom would always yell at him when he forgot to move them, saying she could trip and hurt herself, so he made sure to put them away safely.
“Mom?” He called out, not receiving a response. “Mooooom?”
Usually, whenever he got home, Goro’s mom would be resting on the couch or making dinner in the kitchen. Since she worked at night, he got to see her for a few hours before she left. In the mornings, if she was here, she’d be fast asleep on the couch when he left for school.
Entering the kitchen, he didn’t see his mom in there either. Though one thing did stand out to him. Sitting on the kitchen table was a surprise for the boy, a plate of his favorite food in the whole world.
On his last birthday, Goro’s mother hadn’t been able to afford an actual cake for him. Instead, she made him the next best thing she could, (and one of the only things she knew how to make) pancakes. Topped with whip cream, chocolate chips, and syrup, it was the greatest thing Goro had ever tasted! And it was because of this that he requested pancakes for every birthday thereafter.
As he looked at the tantalizing treat in front of him, drooling at the mouth, he noticed a drop of water splash onto the plate. Then another. And another. Looking up, he spotted the source of the dripping, a large wet spot on the ceiling. Curious, and still wondering where his mother was, Goro decided to go upstairs to check it out.
“Mom?” He called out as he reached the top of the steps. He still received no response, but now he could hear the water running in the bathroom across the hall.
Walking toward the door, the young boy tripped and fell when something rolled out from under his foot. When he landed on the hardwood floor beneath him, Akechi felt a splinter go into the side of his arm. Turning to see what he’d tripped on, he spotted a large, empty green bottle rolling on its side.
“Mom!” He got up, holding his left arm and ran to the bathroom door, knocking on it. “I got a splinter! Mom!”
Still receiving no response, he waited at the door, thinking what to do. His mom had taught him never to open the bathroom door without knocking and waiting for her first. But this was an emergency! The sliver of wood in his arm stung badly as he continued to knock with his other.
“Mom!” He called out, hopping up and down impatiently. He only came to a stop when his foot splashed in a small puddle of water. Looking down, he saw that the water was coming out from under the bathroom door.
Finally reaching for the doorknob, he turned it and opened the door to reveal his mother, the woman who had raised him, lying in the bathtub with her wrists slit open and blood pouring out. Her foggy, unfocused eyes turned directly toward him.
“M-Mom?”
A phone call to the police and a few hours later, the Akechi household was filled with police officers and other emergency services.
“What a display.” The detective said looked at the corpse in the bathtub as the medical team prepared a body bag. “Can you imagine? Coming home to see that?”
“Yeah, disgusting.” The younger officer next to him sneered at the pale corpse.
It was then that the two of them heard a sniffle from nearby. Turning their heads, they saw the source of the noise as a small boy peeking out from a doorway shut himself in.
“Jesus! The kid is still here!?” The detective exclaimed in surprise, turning to the other officers present. “Someone go handle it!”
“Have the rookie do it.” An older man suggested, taking a sip of his coffee. “Not like he’s busy with anything else.”
“Oh come on guys!” The young officer protested. “I’m no good with kids!”
“Too bad, go handle it or I’ll have you on desk duty for the next 3 months.” The detective ordered.
Grumbling, the young officer walked to the door and opened it up, revealing a young boy sitting in the dark on what was presumably his mother’s bed, a twin sized mattress on the floor. The boy’s long brown hair hung over his forehead, obscuring his eyes, but the tear stains on his red cheeks were a clear indicator of how he was feeling.
“Hey there uhh, buddy.” The officer said awkwardly, approaching the mattress. “Rough day huh?”
The boy didn’t respond, only reaching up to wipe the tears from his eyes.
“You got a name?”
“...G-Goro.” The young boy responded softly.
“Nice, that’s a manly name if I’ve ever heard one.” The young officer chuckled, before looking out the open door to see the corpse being removed from the tub. “Hey Goro, you wanna know a secret?”
“Huh?” The young boy looked up at him with a perplexed look. “What?”
“All of this,” He turned back toward the door, ensuring that no one was paying them any attention. “All of this is your fault.”
“W-What?” A look of sadness and confusion came over him. “M-My fault?”
“That’s right.” The young officer nodded. “Your fault. You see Goro, your mom was a dirty whore. You know what that means? It means that she had sex with strangers for money. You were an accident that came from one of those strangers, and because of that, you ruined her life.”
“I...I was an accident?” Tears began to stream from Goro’s face once again. “I ruined her life?”
“You sure did bud.” The officer patted him on the back. “But that’s okay, she’s dead now so it doesn’t matter. You can’t hurt her any more.”
“H-Hurt her?” Goro’s voice cracked. As he turned to look out the door, he was shocked when his gaze once again met the glassy eyes of his mother as she was zipped up into a bag. Immediately, the six year old began to bawl his eyes out once again, loudly crying out.
“Jesus, Adachi!” The detective entered the room in an attempt to quiet the boy down. “What the hell did you say to him?”
“I told you, I’m no good with kids.” The young officer replied, shrugging.
“Are you alright son?” The detective asked, but couldn’t get through to the boy as he continued to weep. Instead, deciding to pick the small boy up, the detective carried him out of the house. “Let’s get you to the station. Do you have anyone you can call?”
It was dark out when they made it outside. As was carried out the front door, Goro saw the rest of his neighbors standing outside, gossiping amongst one another. When his eyes met with Ms. Hanjo’s, the elderly woman bit her lip and turned away, refusing to meet his gaze.
Later, at the police station, Goro sat alone on a chair next to the detective’s desk. Sitting on top of it, amongst the pens and paperwork, a nameplate that read ‘Dojima’ was visible. As he quietly waited for the detective to return, the boy overheard a nearby conversation by two passing officers.
“So she wrote out ‘Shido’ in her own blood?” The officer asked the other one. “Why the hell would she do that? Not like it was a murder, that much is clear.”
“Yeah plus, no one goes by that last name around here. Only one I could think of would be that famous tech mogul. But why would she bring him up?”
“Dunno. Not like we’re getting paid to look into it so who gives a shit, right?”
“Ha, yeah.”
The two of them laughed as they walked out of earshot, unaware that a third party had been listening in.
“Shido.” Goro repeated the name they’d said. Apparently his mother’s last word before her death. What it meant, he had no idea, but he had to find out. He owed his mother that much, especially if what the officer from earlier had said was true. Had he really been an accident? Had he really ruined his mother’s life?
Was all of this...his fault?
Present:
“ShitshitshitshitSHIT!” Ryuji cried out as he ran through the network of support beams beneath one of the amusement park’s roller coasters. Just behind him, the large figure of Venom tailed closely behind him, only slightly impeded by the obstacles. However, rather than maneuvering through them, the hulking beast merely bent the steel beams out of his way.
High above them, the creaking of metal could be heard as more and more support beams began to bend, causing the structure above to lean in a way it wasn’t meant to. Quickly, the creaking noises grew in volume until the roller coaster itself came tumbling down.
“Holy shit.” Ryuji gasped in horror as he watched the large structure falling toward him and his pursuer. With one final burst of speed, he took off as fast as he could to get out of the way. His destination was just ahead of him, if he could just run a bit further-
*BOOM*
The ground shook and a wave of dust flew out as the large mass of metal came in contact with the concrete causing untold damage to the park. Hopefully, if Ryuji survived this, he wouldn’t be the one getting stuck with the bill.
When the cloud of dust finally cleared up, the blond delinquent found himself curled up on the ground with his hands over his head. Shockingly, despite being so close to the area of impact, he hadn’t been hit by any debris and was completely uninjured.
“Wha-?” Ryuji looked over the wreckage of the theme park ride behind him. From what he could see, his pursuer from earlier was nowhere to be found. This was both relieving and unnerving, on the one hand, it meant he was no longer being chased, but on the other, if Akechi was still around, Ryuji had just lost sight of him.
As it would turn out, he didn’t need to worry much on that front, as a roar from behind the blonde quickly revealed Akechi’s location. Turning to meet the sound, Ryuji caught sight of the creature just as it was about to remove his head from his body with a hand of sharpened claws. That would have spelled the end for the former track star if it hadn’t been for the webline that suddenly attached itself to his back, yanking him out of the way just in time to avoid the incoming strike.
“Cutting it a little close there, don’tcha think?” Ryuji asked, rubbing the back of his head.
“Where’s Yusuke?” Ren asked, ignoring the question.
“He’s safe. I didn’t want to risk his life too, so I came alone.” He responded, turning to look at Venom. “Are you guys ready on your end?”
“Yeah.” Ren replied, looking at the beast as well. “Good job getting him here.”
“Now the plan can really begin.”