Oni2:Caged Birds: Difference between revisions

Kumo, Pest control (plan), Shinatama (brain backup), Daodan implementation, Isolation, Sytropin, Jack, Fake OP

==BioCrisis: leaf one==

Kerr had followed Hasegawa's eyes and noticed her reaction. His dark expression was possibly meant for his friend but by having turned around the old lady stood to him face to face. She looked like she would freaking out any moment. She pulled at the leash of her [[wp:Hachikō|Hachiko]].

Kerr and Hasegawa were sitting in their array of fused containers and ate instant [[wp:Ramen|ramen]].

Kimura organized a sample of Jamie's remnants from Marburg to test the pathogens against Hasegawa's artificial immune cells.

Hanna was thinking about the recording again. "For a highly costly area like this I'm surprised they added such ''oddness''. In context of what kind of people are supposed to work here ... shouldn't most of them notice it?"

Blake: "Don't you think you are a little over-interpreting here?"

 

Hanna: "When will these stupid tests finally stop?"

GV acts as digital Spitzbergen. They record the genetic, [[wp:Epigenetics|epigenetic]], anatomic information, natural habitat, life cycle and social behavior of any organism. The all-embracing data sets are the foundation for insilico research, for generating and altering new organisms. That way the villages can fully restore or alter their host eco-systems may it be due to climate change or after any other global catastrophe like asteroid impacts.

"It seems that we are not smart enough anymore for the tools we possess. Some decades ago there was a [[wp:Stanislav Petrov|soldier whose instruments detected an intercontinental missile with a nuclear warhead]]. He didn't followed protocol and simply declared this incidence a false alarm. If he had decided differently it could have been the end. There were quite a number of such incidences."

Southern Spain turning into deserts, [[wp:Arctic resources race|looting of arctic resources]], deep-sea mining, animals dying from oil spills, [https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/aug/16/fish-confusing-plastic-debris-in-ocean-for-food-study-finds open stomachs of fish full of plastic][https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/jan/19/more-plastic-than-fish-in-the-sea-by-2050-warns-ellen-macarthur (*)], [https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/insect-apocalypse-under-way-toxic-pesticides-agriculture insects killed by pesticides], [[wp:Chytridiomycosis|amphibians killed by fungi]], [https://www.google.com/search?q=species+extinction+rate&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X the sixth mass extinction of species], cows at the bloody slaughter houses, [https://www.google.com/search?q=burning+oil+fields+tanks&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X burning oil fields], dead soldiers and civilians in destroyed cities, people mutilated or killed by [https://www.the-monitor.org/ landmines - relicts of older wars], [[wp:Child soldiers in Africa|child soldiers in Africa]]<!--https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/23/joseph-kony-child-soldier-return-uganda-lra parent murdering is not longer happening as the LRA was mostly defeated-->, [[wp:Persecution of people with albinism|human albinos killed for their skin]], [[wp:Human trafficking in South America#Forced labor|labor slaves owned by companies in Latin America]], utterly poor people [https://www.google.com/search?q=poor+people+landfills+india&tbm=isch living on trash dumps in India], mistreatment<!-- and honor kills--> of women<!--

-->, [[wp:Organ theft#Suspected occurrences|organ theft]], [[wp:China Cables|brutal "reeducation" of ethnic minorities in China]], nations fighting each other for water, dead bodies of refugee<!-- children--> at the European beaches.

"You maybe remember the hype from the human genome project. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_8XRkb-wbY&t=300s It was said that the one reference genome will revolutionize the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of most, if not all, human diseases. Doctors will cure diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, diabetes and cancer.]"

"I wish I could have given you a shorter explanation of our project but you cannot simply create an [[wp:Strong AI|strong AI]] by ignoring 3.5 billion years of evolution."

[Kimura invites Pensatore to his company to give them advice for [[wp:Supercomputer architecture#Massive distributed parallelism|HPC architecture]]. Eventually Kimura decides to force Pensatore to permanently participate in the Daodan research.]

For the Daodan project they gathered all computing resources they could get. Capacities of the state, of [https://web.archive.org/web/20241205122719/https://www.worldcommunitygrid.org/ volunteers], of bot nets, and of the very Syndicate. It was biggest collection of capacities for one project in human history so far. It was so impressive that the GV directors later believed that the Daodan might be from the future.

Avatara: "It's actually an [[wp:Hologenome theory of evolution|hologenome]]. It will be radical different than the simulated one you did for me. And that brings me to the next point. The calculations are impossible to execute within your time frame - unless we use quantum computing capacities of Silver Village and other locations of excellence. The Daodan simulations will profit from using different processor types. But parallel computing, especially for the vast molecular simulations, will require QC. If I can bind all resources together as virtual clusters by means of hyper-entanglement the Daodan becomes feasible. Theoretically, the computing power with each qubit will double. But only a highly trained AI such as me can manage occurring recursive problems on the fly and keep all systems in balance. Nature had billions of years to time of parallel computing. It seems to me you don't have that luxury. If you run into discussions of mere design decisions while the one and only chance - simulation - is running, the risk of failure is almost certain. Let me carry out the complete end stage of the Daodan project."

==Pest control==

Griffin and Blackstars have always made business together. In return for the support Griffin shares all TCTF techologies with Blackstars, the Daodan is no exception. He trusts them blindly because he was a member of them. In fact, Griffin and Blackstars helped the TCTF to form their black ops division. The steady flow of information allows GATC and Blackstars to keep under WCG radar.

Z: "What if Konoko teams up with her brother?"

Z: "Okay."

As Muro grows the task force is also meant to kill any children of Muro. He did already so much damage and was only one super soldier.

The team gets eradicated by Muro when they thought they had a good chance to engage. That's why Griffin has to fly to the mountain complex himself.

 

: You could construct a connection to the different game scenarios.

:: If Mai kills Griffin, another (weaker) Blackstars teams might be compelled to attack Muro (because they are still in range) which drives him once more into Imago mode.

:: If Mai doesn't kill Griffin, the Commander is forced to use his own black ops at TCTF.

 

The last remaining man of Z482 met Griffin to ask for new directives and help. Griffin didn't want the operation to be traced back and kills the man. This left Griffin angry about his own forced action and Blackstar's incompetence, they had waited far too long. It appears the Muro is out of reach. In his bad mood, Griffin continued the crusade on criminals in Neo-Tokio. Temporary he even allied with other criminals to replace the ones in power. That was to cut off corrupt politicians from receiving Syndicate money.

Discussion about Mai living in quarantine. Special rooms, suits, food, education, etc.

[More Griffin's Iron Demon encounter here in between?]

Griffin wanted a weapon against Muro. But he also didn't wanted a mutant running around in his facility who had nothing better to do than freaking out his personal. He was also on Joost watch list and had his secret anti-Muro task force. So he thought things didn't needed to be pushed. Mai is plan B - in case Muro survives the kill squad (or otherwise cannot be brought over to TCTF). So he demanded a slow down of Mai's Daodan. The genetic program reacts on negative stimuli so the doctors gave Mai Sytropin - growth factors - to support her original cells. The accelerated growth caused fever and pain. She outgrew Jack in size and strength. As soon as this was recognized she was put on a diet. As result felt hungry for some month. The doctors eventually added roughage to allay her hunger. Mai wears subdermal sensors to measure her blood sugar and fats. Overfluent calories were burnt by physical training. When Mai had birthday she always valued the pizzas more than the presents she got. With her growth phase slowing down Jack was tasked to bring her the meals - once again a tactic to foster their emotional bond.

Griffin: "If Muro is taken out of the picture, Mai can still have a normal life within the TCTF. I will just have hide the fact we got rid of her brother. She and the good doctor [Kerr] must never know. With all the attention and education she gets here she gonna be an excellent agent in no-time.   It's not that we had much of a choice but we will own her something for what we involuntary had to take from her."

Is that why Griffin acts like a [[Quotes/Speech#Friends|"father figure"]] to Mai, from the perspective of other TCTF?

;The first real problem was to convince Griffin that the Daodan was not contagious.

Kerr: "Yes, that's the purpose."

Griffin: And for that it needs to grow. That makes it no different from the green goo out there. - Those whitecoats thought it would remain in its defined area. But it didn't. Hundreds of them were wrong. How can you tell you know it better?"

Griffin: "They too made tests, doctor! And it was for nothing. - How did they call it? - An unplanned occurrence of horizontal gene transfer. What the hell."

Maria: "If she is so dangerous to the general public how do plan to make use of her abilities?"

Griffin: "We lock her up. Train her in VR and by androids. The techs say they are already working on something. - As far as the interaction with the Syndicate goes, we only have plans for her to fight Muro. We will provide a special suit to minimize contamination."

Maria: "Who is Muro?"

Kerr: "Her brother."

Maria: "Oh dear Lord! Tell me this is not true."

Griffin: "He has the other Daodan."

Kerr: "You will probably see Muro in action here and there. - I can't possibly convince you with my own tests. But when you screen the people and places where Muro was, you won't see contagious cell remnants."

Griffin: "That's just one more theory."

Griffin: "Doctor! I will consider it."

;Griffin doesn't really trust Maria's methods to keep Mai doing the sci tests.

 

In springtime Maria and the tech team had a solution that seems a compromise to everyone.

 

Shinatama is introduced to Mai.

However, for a healthy developments Maria proposes that Mai makes more friends. A "machine" doesn't really count for her.

Maria: "What if she rebels against you, and rejects order in a critical moment because she never learned how to properly interact with others."

Griffin: "I know you use this as an excuse. -- But you are right."

Maria: "Why did you changed your mind?

Griffin: "I heard Jack and Konoko already met each other ... somehow. So. It wasn't a catastrophe? Fine. I will call it an followup experiment of yours."

Maria: "You wouldn't allow it if it isn't for greater use ... to you."

Griffin: "We will emotionally bind her to him. - Should she elope one day we have the means to get her back."

Maria: "..."

Griffin: "That or a bullet."

* Commander Griffin, Regional Commander of the TCTF, is your mentor, boss, and even '''[[Quotes/Manual#You_And_Your_Job|father figure]]'''.

* 14_54_20 Civilian: You were one of us. Griffin treated you like a daughter. You should be ashamed of yourself!

When Maria's plan with Jack failed she tried again: she wants Griffin to feel compassion for Mai. Naturally she tries to come up with some excuses and Griffin looks right through it.

[Add other events here.]

Griffin and Mai spent the holidays together up in the north, Finland. At these latitudes the strong coldness protected nature from the Mycorrhiza so far, though there are also toxins. They hunt wild reindeer. Griffin needs anti-toxin injections to digest the meat. When Mai gets stomachaches he gives her also an injection - her Daodan is still too weak to develop adaptions in an instant.

Griffin's Finland lesson: "Don't be afraid of it. We kill to survive (or to keep nature(/system) in balance)." (Just an excuse to train her.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

{| class="wikitable" width="100%"

|

Kimura got notified that Griffin and Mai were up in the north. He figured this to be the chance to fulfill his promise he gave Hasegawa to get back Mai from the TCTF. It was simple math. Two Daodan hosts were better than one.

|}

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The three started to move entering the forest again.

"Though I may be Syndicate I agree little on their plans and agenda."

"Aha, is that so?" The tone of sarcastic disbelieve could be heard from Griffin's mouth all too well.  

"They are maniacs. Organized maniacs", replied Kimura.

"Funny that you say this. I actually believe I have a prime example right here."

Kimura ignored the provocation. "Look beyond your horizon, Griffin. While the Syndicate is all around and growing, the WCG justifies their own existence by fighting them. But while they do they also tighten their grip on just everything."

"You could say I belong to the eyes of the Syndicate to monitor everything. So I monitor the whole world. And I began to not like what I see."

{| class="wikitable" width="100%"

In order to let the reader feel closer connected to the plot the previous chapters should contain the topics Kimura mentions in his summary of a misaligned WCG.

Griffin's origin story will probably be written first showing why he left GATC and joined/established TCTF black ops.

"For all these years the WCG continued to polarized the masses. Either you are for them or you are collaborator of evil. Neutrality for whatever reason is seen with suspicion. No space for critics or independent thinkers. The political climate got poisonous – just like the soil and air around us. Instead we have propaganda from all sides, controlled media, pool reporting. [Bioc Inc.] Total surveillance. Controlled internet. [3D printing] Controlled science. - Think of it, they started to build science prisons all over the world."

Griffin was glancing to Mai for a moment, thinking of her and Kerr. Meanwhile Kimura continued his monologue.

"Physical prisons of our intellects. – The civilians who try to duck and hide from all this mess do so in [[wp:Special:PermanentLink/1148032500#Current usage|Biedermeier-ish]] bubble communities [Daya's parents]. They dive into distraction, consumption and addiction.<!-- And the products they cannot get ... they get from the us.--> But even when the those people want wake up from their self-chosen coma they don't feel powerful enough to act. A true, meaningful development of our lives basically doesn't happen anymore."

They passed the wooded hilltop. The house came into view. It was still about 100 meters away. There were two pickups, a blue and a gray one.

"This society has put itself under arrest."  

"Tss. Really?" Griffin bluffed at his unwanted visitor.

"What?" Kimura followed the commander's line of sight.

"It's not a crime to park right next to you. Unlike that is this unholy situation of Syndicate and the gov. Admit it Griffin, you feel the same."

"Heh. Nobody is happy about the overall situation. But it's not like there is a god damn conspiracy. I know there are quite a bunch of people – or as you call them, independent thinkers – who believe this. But there is no such thing. I don't see what you are purposing with all your talk. – Cut it out already, what do you want?"

"Very well, straight to the point. I'm putting together a team of special people to do some cleanup. To normalize things. I don't expect you to join us. But I could need the abilities of your trainee. I heard she is terribly talented."

Griffin stopped walking and signaled to Mai to do so too.

"Not happening."

Kimura turned around.

"Why not?"

Griffin was rising the hunting rifle aiming at Kimura. "You are a full-fledged killer. A psychopath. You must be crazier than I thought that you believe I would agree on such nonsense."

"Oh please, as if you weren't a full-fledged killer."

"I'm not."

"Hahaha. Yes you are. You are a hunter. You are a soldier. You kill. You ARE a killer. And talk about craziness, look at that partnership with Taka. You can't say that's not crazy. Do you actually know about him? How tied the other Yakuza to his bidding?"

Kimura smirked.

{| class="wikitable" width="100%"

Kimura knows this because it was Taka who tasked him to come up with means to control the other Yakuza.

Griffin tried to find words. "He is a controlled threat. We made a deal. A fricking deal – to live and let live. So don't compare me with you. I don't dig holes all day long at deserted places to bury the poor devils who had the unfortunate fate to cross your path."

"Ya, Griffin, you aren't digging graves yet. But I swear you – with all the shit that is going on at your place – that day is coming closer. Taka will betray you one day. YOU can try to repress these thoughts but HE has no other choice. On the long run you are going to lose this fight."

Kimura glanced at Mai. "Don't drag her down along with you."

"As if. The Syndicate tried to get rid of me a dozen times. And here I am."

Kimura grimaced in a sober way. He hadn't reached anything using words.

His wrist gadget was lighting up, flashing red and white.

"Ha, we will see about that. Looks like your arrogance made you careless."

"So you think, jackass." Griffin presented him a middle finger.

Muffled screaming of metal blade rushed trough the air.  

Mai looked up to a heavy armored helicopter at the distance quickly coming closer.

"If these are the real bad guys shouldn't we move?"

Griffin still tried to pierce Kimura with his eyes but the himself neutral declared assassin had little interest posing an easy target for the new approaching threat.

"I think we can agree at least on this one."

Just as he said that the three started to race down the hill.

"As if this is a coincidence", Griffin mumbled to himself but on purpose loud enough Kimura could hear him.

"I ensure you they aren't my men. Otherwise I wouldn't be running."

"You may leave us anytime." Griffin changed his focus. "Mai! Get into the house!"

Griffin threw the rifle over his should to free his arm gadget from glove and sleeve.

Kimura departed somewhat sideways but still near enough to end up at the house.

Six capsules from the helicopter were dropped onto the snow covered forest street. They turned out to be octocopter drones and two men with tank-piercing sniper rifles.

"Where are going, Kimura?"

"I will not run into the forest getting shot in the back. No thanks."

"Don't worry, I can't afford a bullet for you."

Kimura smirked. "Ya, don't waste your ammo on me. Although, I doubt your toy rifle can even scratch me."

"Time then to ramp things up." Griffin had finally freed his wrist gadget to speak into it. "Activate defense perimeter."

Metal discuses of the size of half a meter were popping up out of the snow. Spiky legs unfolded and lifted the constructions.

Mai stopped her run. One of the robots were right in front of her at the door. It looked down into her eyes. The gatling gun was aiming at her. She stepped backwards.

"Nice spiders pods. GATC tech?" Kimura said with no sign of tension.

"Fuck off Kimura. They are not programmed to spare you", Griffin shouted at him.

"But neither are they to attack unarmed civilian. Right?"

Griffin voice was grim. "I wouldn't bet on it."

While they kept running more and more trees were blocking Griffin's and Kimura's view of each other.  

The first series of bullets missed them and hit the house. Snow dust from the roof was falling off. Glass of windows was pierced.

Griffin dodged and continued to run ducked in direction of the door.

Mai was still ten seconds between him and the house.

"Mai! Run! Run into the house!"

Mai looked in panic forth and back.

The armed drones were flying to surround the place. At the same time they were shooting through the tree tops.

A new series of bullets were hitting the ground. One projectile went through her leg. She fell to the ground. The snow started to turn red.

Griffin slided to Mai. He grabbed her at the neck and the legs and rushed through the wooden door.

The spider behind them which had made Mai a frozen statue before got pierced by a rain of bullets.

"So much about a warm welcome." Kimura put on his hood. As he turned away his jacket changed colors to snow white making him slowing disappear from everyone's view.

The spiders began to spreed out and take down the flying drones.

Kimura watched the scene lurking from a staple of logged wood.

After a while the spiders had shot down all drones.

"Hm, that was fast", he mumbled to himself.

Just a moment later individual shots from long distance were decimating Griffin's metallic guards.

Kimura took a small google device from his pockets.

He scanned the area in thermo vision. But behind the burning wracks he couldn't see anything meaningful when a bullet went through the logs just a few centimeters near him. They had spotted him as well. His camouflage was useless.

"Hmpf." Kimura quickly sneaked out of the logs going behind the house. In a last moment of unhindered view he saw how Griffin's last three spiders retreated through the door. They almost got stuck in the frame.

Kimura punched a window and jumped through. He just dodged to evade another shot from the inside.

"Afraid of my toy rifle, Mr. Super Ninja?"

You know that ONCC, right? Can we add references of file names, one per chapter?

Griffin was standing in front of him. The rifle was still smoking from the shot.

"What the hell you are still doing here?"

"It's too late. It's us versus them now."

A bullet from the outside was hitting Kimura through the walls into his shoulder. "Gahhhh."

"You idiot." Griffin grabbed Kimura at the other arm and pulled him into the next room. It was the kitchen that served also as living room. Next to staple of logs and a fire pit of the chimney there was a hutch in the floor. A staircase led into a storage room.

Griffin closed the hutch above their heads. "Try to stay calm, don't make any loud noises."

Kimura felt offended. "Ey-"

Mai was screaming from behind. "My leg hurts! It hurts so bad!"

"Stay calm, Mai. We will fix you up." Griffin searched the walls to for a first-aid kit.

Kimura pressed his hand onto his wounded shoulder. Then he realized it was bullet had gone fully through. He sat down to the wall and drew a data pad from his many pockets. No connection to the outside world. Their enemies were jamming the frequencies.

Griffin went back to him. "There's no dressing nor meds in this room and I can't get up in the kitchen anymore. Can you provide anything useful?"

"I've a toxin to put her to sleep for some time. It's integrated into my suit. You have to make some space."

A fiber appeared from Kimura's suit and stung Mai. Soon her whining ended, she had fallen asleep.

"Can't her Daodan heal her?", Kimura asked.

Griffin painfully realized Kimura knew Mai's true value. He buried his head. "Uhh..." It was useless to think about it. He looked up again. "No, the new biomass ... It's not very advanced yet."

Griffin saw down to Mai. "We must stop the bleeding."

"So must I", Kimura replied and sat down again.  

Griffin disassembled an old generator for cables and an inductor. Meanwhile Kimura opened a white box, took a tube and cut off a piece in length of a thumb tip. He hold it near his own wound at the shoulder. The fibers of his suit begun to take it. The bio-compatible tube was placed into the flesh to reestablish blood flow of a destroyed artery.

"This suit is [BGI] military tech, 5 years away from anything that is in the TCTF labs. Our affiliated mercs are really hyped on upgrading their arsenal with these now."

Griffin gave it a short glance and focused on his own work again.

"Not impressed, hm? I forgot, you are a GATC man too. They must have their own cutting edge tech that I don't know about," Kimura concluded.

Griffin connected an energy cell to the inductor. It did nothing but to smoked a bit. Kimura gave it two more cells. The cable turned red from the heat. Griffin went over to Mai. He burnt the wound to close it.

Night fell and the moon was bright, in the old age this was a good time for hunting. But could they reverse the situation? They combined the sensors of the remaining Spiders and Kimura's "pickup". They dissembled the weapon from the Spider that couldn't walk anymore. After an attack during midnight the Spider's were destroyed and Kimura had disappeared.]

(...)

One sniper felt safe enough to enter the house.

Griffin shot him through the wooden floor.

Kimura used the trees to quickly move around. His shoes had spikes that pierce into the bark. At the same time the trees started to glow in a horizontal white lines as if someone had walked around them with a special paint. Laser-induced fluorescence. The invisible beams where emitted from the pickup. Kimura actually meant to distract the Spider sensors with the lights. He used the distraction to jump forward. His suit was in fact an exoskeleton that boosted this muscle power.

Kimura was flying though the air like an arrow. At the last tree he grabbed the wood to change his direction. In midair he rolled over the sniper's shoulder. When the armed man tried to take aim Kimura's fibers were stinging him at the neck just to roll behind a glowing tree a split second later. Kimura needed to wait for the drug to take affect. Bullets went through the massive wood. Kimura was lying flat on the ground. Finally he heard a thud. Kimura took the rifle when the helicopter appeared above him. In the next moment the pickup transformed to fired at the helicopter. The pilot decided to move out of range before he took too much damage.

Kimura had scared off the helicopter with his anti-tank rifle that he had hiding in the pickup, or more exactly as part of it. He had driven off to catch Griffin by taking a detour over the streets.

The merc who had fallen into the storage room was revived by this suit. He crawled back into the kitchen. He quickly orientated himself and chased after Griffin's footprint that were still glowing in thermovision. The man had to be quick. Griffin had to carry Mai but he also had an advance of an hour.

(...)

Finally Griffin got into view just when he entered more free space. It was a frozen lake. Without concern he went on when he heard noises from behind.

The other man had run after the commander without getting noticed up to the last meters.

Mai mumbled from behind.

"Terrance!"

He turned around. In a blink of an eye he had to react. By the tackle both men crashed onto the ice. Mai tried to free herself from the improvised litter. But to no avail.

Punches were exchange. Griffin nose was clearly broken, a tooth was broken out. Blood streamed over from his nose and mouth, dripping into the snow. Griffin went down.

The other man took his knife to finish the commander for good.

The sound of a shot rolled through the air.

Mai was still bound to the litter but she had snatched the hunting rifle. She had hit the aggressor into the back.

It had little effect. Their foe was wearing a bullet proof suit.

He had became just angrier and readied up to murder Mai first.

Griffin had gotten up again. He swiped the other man's legs making him crash with the back onto the ice.

The commander kicked the knife away and stumped onto the man.

They both broke through the ice.

Griffin kept kicking. His foe got beneath the intact ice layer and tried to dive back. But Griffin kicked him against the head. Again, again and again. Eventually the mercenary run out of air and stopped fighting. He slowly drifted beneath the snow covered ice layer out of view.

Griffin managed to crawl out of the water.

When Mai realized that the threat had gone she collapsed losing the grip on the rifle.

Griffin threw a look at her and then at the hole in the ice again, assuring himself that the merc had been neutralized.

Under heavy breathing he looked down to himself. He was soaked with cold water. The wind was increasing in speed. He looked up the sky. Dense snowfall started to hinder the view.

If they didn't reached civilization soon they would both freeze to death.

Griffin stepped closer to Mai. But then he heard the helicopter again. They couldn't hide anywhere, it was a free space, just grassland and the lake. He was totally exhausted. They would not escape this time.

Kimura was on the highway when he spotted the armored helicopter again.

"Flying piece of junk."

The heli slowed down to aim at Griffin with the gatling.

Kimura let transform the backside of his pickup again. The giant anti-tank cannon appeared.

Kimura aimed at the main rotor and fired.

A moment later the heli failed to hit Griffin as it had knocked sideways. The machine had lost its rotor and crashed burning onto the frozen lake just to sink in it completely.

Kimura watched the scene through his scope and spotted Griffin.

He increased the zoom to fully see the commander's face. He pulled the trigger.

Nothing happened.

He was out of ammo.

Kimura imagined how much time he would need. He would had to enter the deeply snowed fields by feet, kill Griffin and get through the snow another time dragging Mai along back to the street. It was tempting but he simply had not that much time. Griffin's reinforcement would just have reached him when he was back at the street.

Kimura smirked. He let transform the big rifle back into the pickup and drove away.