Chapter 6 - Apprehension

  Samurai are wild dogs normally, why are we letting some who are murderers still run around like there are no consequences? Look at what The Hound did! We need to put a leash on all of Ireland's new samurai before another disaster happens. - Excerpt from Truthspeach podcast.

  (Teach)

  As Michael finished introducing me and continued introducing the rest of the squad, I was looking hard at the Samurai. I could swear that I recognised both his transformed form and also this current one, I just couldn’t put my finger on what his name was or where I remembered him from.

  Then he helpfully, for my memory introduced myself.

  “Thank you kindly for the introductions, Lieutenant. I suppose it’s my turn. My name is Alexander Whelan. I was previously a Captain in the army, but after becoming a Vanguard I was called ‘The Hound’, but I know after Seraphina put that blasted implant in someone changed that to ‘Blood Haze’.”

  My blood ran cold, and I completely locked up. ‘Blood Haze’, I certainly knew that name; anyone who was alive at the time in Ireland knew that name from the news.

  Article and news titles like ‘Deranged Vanguard Slaughters Indiscriminately’ and ‘Psycho Vanguard Kills And Eats A Block Of People’ are still stuck in my mind, along with the photos and videos taken of what happened.

  A whole street littered with corpses and a blood-soaked humanoid shape sitting in the middle of the slaughter and beginning to eat parts of the corpses.

  Then the report came that the Vanguard responsible was known as The Hound but was renamed and condemned in the news as Blood Haze it was also said that another member of the Vanguard known as Wolf Queen had publicly apologised for her husband’s actions and would be providing compensation to the families of the victims along with taking responsibility of taking custody of him to avoid any other incidents like this.

  I realised I had just unknowingly assisted in freeing what to all accounts was a vicious monster from what was probably Wolf Queen's control chip to ensure he couldn’t go berserk. This was bad, very bad.

  I got a message on my augs from Michael.

  {Whatever you all feel about samurai, either way or the other. This one is a known danger that has been responsible for the wholesale slaughtered and eaten civilians. Don’t panic, do not provoke him and spread out slightly in a natural manner. Once we get moving, make it a close combat spread, but don’t be obvious about it.}

  I see everyone tense up slightly after and fingers begin to rest near triggers again.

  Michael manages to master himself and address Blood Haze.

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  “We should probably get out of the facility. There is a horde of antithesis attacking my men still left on the surface. Is that alright, Sir?”

  Blood Haze inhales deeply and then nods whilst saying.

  “We should probably get moving then.”

  I see Barney step back as he starts towards us to go up the corridor. We are still blocking slightly if he notices he doesn’t comment.

  We will have to go deeper into the facility to try to find a control room to open the blast doors first, sir.”

  Michael hedges as mostly a guess.

  “No need, I have a skeleton key right here! Badb, a couple of dimensional shunts if you would please and something to hold them. No, don’t bother with the point readout yet Anand. I know you'll want to go through a complete list, save it for later.”

  He replies as a box pops into existence above his outstretched hand, opening it and pulling out a pretty standard-looking belt pouch which although completely new and just appearing, has a weathered look as if it has been used for years and not in the usual artificial way that been a sought after look by people attempting to look badass but in a way that looks like it has been manually tanned and then worn every day.

  He proceeds to unloop part of the belt holding up the tattered trousers that have somehow stayed on his body despite him shrinking significantly. And even now, still don’t fall.

  I glance over at Sticky and even after being told to be careful, she is now staring straight at his midsection and looks annoyedly at the belt in his hands as if the tattered cloth not dropping was a direct insult to her.

  After attaching the pouch, he reloops the belt and looks up, catching sticky looking with a frown on her face.

  “It’s class 1 combat attire from my catalogue, shrinks and grows as needed due to being made of incredibly stretchy material and adsorbs blunt and cutting blows well enough, but obviously doesn’t hold up in extended combat for long periods of time.”

  He answered the question he may have believed she was going to ask.

  “Very interesting, does it have a limit to the amount it can stretch at all, or can it continue to and how much damage can it take before falling apart?”

  Sticky asked in a curious tone that betrayed nothing but genuine curiosity.

  “No, it has limits it’s based on how big I grow currently and that’s its limit. As for damage, I don’t think it’ll take much more than it has. I’ll have to replace it soon.”

  Blood Haze answered completely oblivious to how he was wording things or why Sticky was asking this.

  “Down girl, you can pursue him once we get out of here and through the antithesis out there!”

  BJ helpfully put in, at which point Sticky spun around to give him a death glare. To which he held up his hands.

  Then Barney piped up, taking the chance to rib Sticky.

  “He’s also already married, I don’t think Wolf Queen will appreciate you much Sticky, she…”

  We all froze as a low growl, as well as a mild clicking sound started. Looking over at the biggest danger in this place, I saw fur starting to spread and then recede along with rapid movement of his jaw growing slightly and then shrinking as the growl persisted.

  Then we heard a guttural and deep voice growl out every vowel as if it were the most difficult thing he had ever done.

  “Anand, get me a relaxant, now.. please.”

  A grey metallic injector appeared in the air in front of him and before any of us could even track his arm moving, he had caught and stabbed the injector into his neck.

  I hadn’t noticed, but my gun was up and already aimed at centre mass, finger on the trigger. I took my finger off the trigger before I pulled it and just pissed him off more.