Unkempt

He did not hesitate. Ryo lunged forward, soaring through the room while aiming for the closest Genesis guard. His palm latched onto the guard's head while igniting his nanosuit's boosters. He propelled forward and slammed the guard's head against the fluorescent lighting on the ceilings, cracking them to let its smoking chemicals flow with the air. The scientist previously by Ryo's side entered the room, clamping his cheeks with his palms in unbelievable astonishment. The other Genesis guard struggled to reach for his firearm, but Ryo's actions created too much chaos for him to concentrate. The flickering lights mimicked a horror movie's paranormal activity crisis as Ryo slammed the guard's head against the control panel. The monitor's camera shut itself off after sustaining heavy damage to its controls. He dragged the guard's head against the panel before holding him hostage with the barrel of his rifle against his nape.

"Put your gun down, damn it!" The guard pleaded for his life as the opposing guard aimed his firearm at Ryo.

"Shut up," Ryo warned.

The scientist from outside the double doors entered the room, surrendering himself. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" He cried, whimpering while placing his hands over his head. "I didn't want to show him, I swear!"

"You son of a bitch," The guard in custody insulted. "You ratted us out like those fucking Yakuza-"

Ryo aimed his rifle at the guard's foot and fired a single bullet. The guard cried in distress as blood spurted out of his foot. The opposing guard edged forward, but Ryo pointed his firearm back at him to mind his distance.

"Now," Ryo began, holding his breath while side-eyeing the vicinity. "Start talking. All of you."

"You," The guard was able to recognize Ryo's identity with his concerning voice. "I know you. You're that one from the underground. You're the one that ran away."

"And how would you know that?" Ryo asked.

"Are you serious?" The guard expressed. "Everyone knows. Everyone does."

"Christ's sake, shoot this motherfucker already!" The hostage guard cried as his foot limped and curved inhumanely.

Ryo pointed his rifle towards the opposing guard once again, clenching his teeth in spite. "You shoot me, you all die. Now start talking."

"Okay, okay..." The other guard hesitated, placing his firearm by his side.

"What are you doing!?" The hostage guard asked. "We're all dead even if you tell him!"

"Shut up, damn it! Just let me think for a second!"

Ryo edged his rifle forward once again. "You better think fast," He warned. "Who was the one holding that camera? Where is he?!"

"I can't... I can't..." The guard begged.

Ryo retaliated by blasting another bullet into the hostage guard's other foot. Blood spurted out even more rapidly than before. "Fuck! Christ, oh fuck, you motherfucker..." The hostage guard's voice faltered.

"Jesus!" The guard cried.

"Where is he!?" Ryo repeated.

"Sagittarius, fuck!" The guard blurted out, dropping his firearm to the ground. "The Sagittarius District! He's in the mountains! Fon or not, they're all there!"

Ryo took a brief moment to process the information. "The Fon. What are they, and why is it important?" Ryo asked, glancing over at the scientist by his side. "You," He called. "You told your cadets the same thing. You said they were involved in sacrifices. What were you talking about?"

"The-the-the Fon, they're creatures," The scientist explained. "We use them for energy sources to preserve the people in sleeper pods. We're trying to replicate-"

"The fragment that you stole," The opposing guard intervened, yelling at Ryo. "It was none of your business, and you stole it anyway!"

"And now I know it was for a good purpose," Ryo continued, aiming his rifle at the opposing guard and wanting to know more information. "Those people in the sleeper pods. Are they human, or are they Fon?"

"What- what does it matter!? We are on the brink of discovery. What matters to the world is not going to risk anyone!"

"What do you mean by that?" Ryo asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" The guard exclaimed. "The Fon was bound to die. It is their destiny! Not even the great Lucine Vicio Melodia can save their ashes! Their planet had fallen long ago. Their people do not belong on this rich expanse. Their lives are forfeit. They are the food for our sustenance!"

"Those people are human too, and you just admitted to slaughtering them for... for preservation?" Ryo roared, believing their cause excruciatingly unkempt. "What drives all of you to sacrifice people in our world? Who is doing this, and why?!"

The scientist glanced at his shoes before lifting his head with his mouth slightly open. "Mr... Storm-"

A gunshot echoed through the hallway outside the control panel database. The scientist's left temple exploded in a gush of blood, falling to the ground with his eyes rolled back as blood spewed from his left temple. A group of men with slim physique entered through the double doors in a hurried state. All four of them wore modified nanosuits that drew cautious similarities to the ones that his allies from Sunlight had. The one who fired the bullet, a visored figure with a revolver, removed his helmet to reveal a young man no older than Ryo whom he immediately familiarized with.

"Well, this is interesting," The man's relaxed voice caught Ryo off-guard as his allies aimed their rifles at him. He scanned the area, looking at the guard who revealed all of the information to Ryo. "So, we'll do you the favor of getting tortured by ending you first." He said, firing his revolver at the guard. The bullet struck through the helmet, piercing through the eye and instantly killing him.

Ryo aimed his rifle at the suited man as his hostage passed out from blood loss. "It's you." He said.

"Yes, it's me," The man repeated, smirking. "It's funny how I used to be nothing but a thorn pricking your sides back in the day. To live in your shadow... well, that's all I can remember from those times. But now that we dedicate our lives to this place and beyond, well... all I can say is that I've finally surpassed you, Nakai."

"Nobu Shibusawa," Ryo immediately recognized, remembering the details of Sophie's story. "Still a slave to the Yakuza, I see."

"Ooh, I'm so thrilled you even remember my name," Nobu complimented, aiming his revolver at Ryo's head. "For years, you always thought of me as nothing but Body 1 and Body 2. But now... things have changed, haven't they? You being a traitor, us gaining the upper hand... things aren't looking so hot for you now, are they?"

"Why are you joining Genesis?" Ryo asked, moving through the room at a snail's pace to instinctively search for an escape route with his surroundings. Even if he were to take on all four of them, he was unsure of Nobu's strength. The longer he remained, the more reinforcements would have arrived. Their nanosuits were proven to be too much to handle. "What did they do to you?"

"They saved us," Nobu admitted. "We were far too weak. Our ranks were stripped away as soon as you left. We were left without a home searching for a way to survive, all because you were so eager to leave us for nothing. All eyes were focused on you, and everyone lost hope when you had left. Every one," He explained, circulating with his suited allies around Ryo in the room. "But Genesis gave us a second chance. They gave me a second chance, to be noticed by the greatest power in the world's current state!"

"Is that what this is?" Ryo asked. "Just a power struggle?"

"That's right," Nobu said. He found his foot near the passed-out guard, executing him with a bullet through his head. "Ooh, messy, that was!"

"Why did you-"

"He knew too much," Nobu interrupted. "What, did you really think we were completely siding with Genesis? No. Us Yakuza, we pick and choose who we align with, and that man was a complete goner. Remind you of anything?"

Ryo held his breath. "You." He said.

"That's right! Your old pal, Nobu Shibusawa! But no longer. Your time has passed, and we only want one thing and one thing only," He lowered his revolver before extending his hand towards Ryo, taunting him with a gesture of his palm. "Give me Fragment Alpha, and I promise that we will never bother you again. I know you have it. You stole it from here."

"And if I say no?" Ryo asked.

"Man!" Nobu chuckled. "Honestly, I seriously thought that I was the thorn in our relationship, but now the tide has changed I don't know, Nakai, what do you think? You think you'll live to tell the tale to your children of you surviving here tonight?" He continued gesturing with his palm to Ryo. "No, you don't, hmm? So, I'll make it simple. This here, this game that you've kept us living in for long is over. This, this right here? This is over. Now give it to me."

"Not unless you tell me what Fragment Alpha is." Ryo bargained.

"No," Nobu said.

One of the caved-in walls that Ryo destroyed with his mag booster had a massive chunk of debris sticking out from the side. Without any hesitation to allow Nobu to continue monologuing, he pulled it forward with his mag booster and fired it at the four of them. His attack revealed a path for Ryo to escape through. But as soon as Ryo darted towards the exit, Nobu shattered his expectations with a mag booster of his own, dragging Ryo by the feet towards him.

"You've got balls, I'll give you that," Nobu said. "Still the same reckless hero you were. Reckless, but now worthless," He grabbed Ryo's nanosuit by the neck and utilized his full strength to toss him towards the ceiling, breaking through the foundation. Nobu charged upwards and slammed his shoulder against Ryo, charging through multiple floors until they landed on the main floor with Genesis reinforcements surrounding the two of them.

Smoke and debris clouded the vicinity as Ryo's chest pulsated with searing pain. He groaned in agony as he pressed against his nanosuit, unable to withstand the strength of Nobu's attack. Genesis soldiers surrounded Ryo's weakened body, aimed at him with extreme caution.

"Poor Ryo Nakai," Nobu's voice startled Ryo as he reappeared by his side. "Too weak to go on. You chose the wrong side!" He yelled, ramming his foot into Ryo's stomach.

Ryo gasped for air as he rolled over, yelling as the brimming pain was too much for him to bear. His emotions got the better of him, as he sought a way to retaliate without physical strength. "No," He whispered, holding in his pain. "You did. You left Sophie... you left her alone for this."

Nobu ceased his rampant insults and froze in position. His eyes widened in utter despair and relent. His associates stared at him in confusion. "What..." He muttered. "What did you say...?"

"Sophie..."

Nobu slammed his foot against Ryo once again relentlessly, this time much more forceful than before. "What the hell do you know about Sophie!?" He cried, leaping down onto Ryo's body and pummeling his face with rapid blows from his fists. "I'll kill you. I'll kill you right here and now... for that."

"Look at you," Ryo whispered as his hearing started to fade. "She meant a lot to you, and you wasted it. You're still the same... as you were before."

"You son of a bitch," Nobu said, clenching his right fist tightly and raising it in the air. "I warned you."

"Sir, unidentified aircraft coming this way!" One of Nobu's nanosuited associates called out, shoving him away. Ryo cocked his head as his hearing began to repair itself from the nanosuit's healing agents. A soaring jet's engine roared through the skies, crackling in a searing fire as it charged towards Genesis Laboratories at full speed. Summoning his full strength before he was crushed to death, Ryo shoved himself off of the ground as Genesis soldiers retreated.

The jet slammed against the dome-shaped laboratory, crushing the foundation and reducing all of the top floors to debris. Ryo gently lifted his head as sparks of electricity and flame mingled together, reducing the surroundings to chaos. Cries of soldiers fleeing the premises were heard, believing that their top-secret base had been finally compromised. Hundreds of them retreated into the forests, while only a select handful from the underground base remained to clean up the mess.

A slim figure landed in front of Ryo, kneeling down to extend her aid to Ryo. "You are one crazy son of a bitch," Natia's familiar voice rang through Ryo's ears. "Three days, I said. And you couldn't even last a single night."

"That's what..." Ryo whispered, leaning back against the pavement. "She said."

Natia scoffed and shook her head in utter dismay. "You really are so fucking dramatic, you know that?" She said, lifting Ryo off of the ground with her strength. "Come on, get up," She placed Ryo's arm over her shoulder. "You look like shit."

"Hey... how are you?" Ryo's experience with the flaming jet crash made his brain malfunction, choosing the most peculiar of words to express during this chaotic time. "How'd you find me?"

"What kind of shit did you smoke from the hospital?" Natia asked. "Clown girl told me everything."

"Did she tell you that Sumire's alive?" Ryo mumbled, fumbling his words as Natia held him on.

"What?" Natia's eyes widened. "She's alive? Where is she?"

"Sagittarius," Ryo said. "She's somewhere in the mountains. She's in trouble. There's a Genesis spy there. We have to find her."

Natia held her breath. "As much as I would love to, Sagittarius is on the other side of the fucking continent," She said. "We've tried tracking her, so we'll need to search for her without communications. That's gonna be a fucking nightmare, you know that."

"Those people are in danger," Ryo said.

"Who's in danger?"

"The Fon. They're the people that Genesis is using for their sick experiments. I just saw the truth. Genesis and the Yakuza are working together to create their infinite energy source, but it requires a sacrifice. The Fon is that sacrifice. They don't care that they're killing people to harness energy from their bodies."

"Harness energy... how is that even physically possible?" Natia asked.

"And one of them mentioned a name," Ryo said, remembering the guard's words. "Lucine Vicio Melodia. That sounds just like-"

"Lucia Melody," Chiaki's voice suddenly rang through Ryo and Natia's nanosuits, surprising the both of them.

"The fuck?" Natia said, gasping in surprise. "You were here this entire time?"

"That's right. I had to cut off communications from your nanosuit so that Genesis couldn't pick it up through their frequencies," Chiaki said via neural interface. "Now that Naoto's taking a break, I decided to hook up some tech at Miss Springwell's estate to provide support to all of you. Hope you two and the others won't mind."

"As long as it keeps me alive, I'm all for it," Ryo said.

"You have to know that Lucine Vicio Melodia is Lucia Melody," Chiaki explained. "It's her real name. You were unable to find her name through Aries databases because she lived under that fake pseudonym. I think it's also important to know that she's not a human. She's a Fon from Planet Vicious."

"Fon, schmon, she's a fucking human being," Natia ignored the entire human versus alien debate. "I don't care anymore. So what you're trying to say is that she's been the victim this entire time? So what that pink-haired pirate bitch was true at the Hullbreaker Tunnels."

"And she's likely too far gone at this point," Chiaki continued. "Now that we've heard the truth about what Genesis has been doing to the Fon, we have enough information to shut them down. But this laboratory isn't their only base of operations."

"We can worry about that later," Ryo said. "We need to save my sister and stop that spy from hurting the Fon any further!"

"Leaving so soon?" Nobu's gruff voice echoed in the distance where the jet crashed down. The jet's gigantic wing ascended through the skies towards Ryo and Natia. As she stepped forward, Natia used her mag booster to slice through the wing using her daggers as a cutting tool. The wings split in half and landed beside the two of them.

Nobu's face was filled with grime and dirt from the resulting explosion. He chuckled maniacally before focusing his attention on Ryo. "Well, I certainly hoped for less," He said. "Sending a whole fucking plane. Now that, I like. And after throwing Sophie's name at me like a weapon? Now you've done it, Nakai."

Natia held Ryo's shoulder and released him gently with her eyes focused on Nobu. "An old friend of yours?" She asked.

"Friend is an understatement," Ryo said. "He was Sophie's friend when she was young. He's Yakuza."

"Yakuza..." Natia muttered, clenching her fists and slanting her eyebrows. She looked back at Ryo's weakened state and took a slight breath after studying his face. Her eyebrows lowered in sympathy before she stepped in front of him. "Get back to Sunlight," She said with a firm expression fixated on Nobu. "I'll deal with him."

"No, we have to get out of here," Ryo yelled. "Or we'll both die!"

"Do you want us both to find out how that ends?" Natia said. "You need to tell the others what happened. Chiaki can back you up, now shut up and go! Save Sumire!"

"Aww, look at you two arguing like a married couple," Nobu teased, leaping off of the jet's wreckage and landing on the pavement. The nanomachines on his nanosuit repaired his wounds and flowed through his body like waves on a fleeting ocean. "But I accept the challenge. A little variety wouldn't hurt anybody. But once I kill you, I'm coming for you, Nakai."

"Go!" Natia yelled.

"I can't leave you!" Ryo said back as he could not choose between staying or leaving.

"Well, if Nakai wants to stay, then so be it!" Nobu cried, charging forward with his gauntlets towards Ryo. Natia stepped in between them, deflecting the blow with her twin daggers. "Out of my way!"

"Fucking go!" Natia cried.

Ryo shook his head and turned around, blasting into the skies with his ignition booster. He turned his head back to catch both Natia and Nobu battling each other, believing that his responsibility should have remained with her. He looked at Natia, remembering how she harbored a grudge for the Japanese for destroying her home, along with how the Yakuza ruined his life. As Ryo shook his head in denial for leaving Natia, he escaped the premises with the information that he had.

"I'm coming, Sumire," Ryo whispered to himself as the wind blew against his face. "Just wait a bit longer, okay?"