Tokyo Bay Riders

7.5

The only way to protect everyone is to not get close to anyone.

That was the mantra that Aukai Medley lived by.

Sat at his office, feet swimming in piles of paperwork for work and leisure. His close company a white mug of cold coffee, the windows flung open behind him with the hum of outside life leaking through into the office block air. Hasagawa island was more than fully equipped to run on its own, and Aukai was forever grateful that Winnie had given him his own office to work on site rather than trawl around the city. Being world famous always had its downfalls.

Today would prove that yet again.

Aukai's office was located in a block on the east side, situated next to the block where Chester's office was. Both men had the second to top floor, both with spectacular views of Tokyo Bay and it's luminous watercolour skyline. Winnie, described to her liking as the female version of Chester with higher intelligence, owned the top floor of this block. She was the manager for Cosmos, a young blond woman who'd once been a trainer at the DRA France.

"Aukai, have you heard from Adonis by any chance?" She leaned against the doorway, keys in hand and phone tipped away from her ear as she graced him with her presence. Winnie knew he was more than capable of handling paperwork, she didn't need to watch him like a hawk.

"That's a stupid question, Win, why would I hear from him?" His tone came out more venomous than intended. Winnie either didn't acknowledge it or didn't seem to acknowledge it as she spoke again.

"Eclipse's main communication system went down an hour ago, Chester is understandably panicked and wondered if you'd received a distress signal as a last resort."

That was right - Aukai was Adonis' last resort.

Aukai waved the idea away, his eyes suddenly becoming interested in his paperwork.

"He hasn't called me. He's probably busy."

Winnie left, silent. Aukai didn't look over, or say goodbye.

He buried himself back into his paperwork.

Adonis was probably busy.

He was fine.

...

Screaming came first.

Cold, overpowering, heartbreaking screaming.

It was two hours after Winnie's visit, two hours of pointless thoughts and pen scratching paper. Then the screaming started outside. Not only screaming - alarms, sirens, barking. Aukai's chair went flying, he lunged for his sword and leather harness from beside his chair and flew into action.

Colour drained from the veins in his face. His legs carried him forward. Towards it. Out his office and down hundreds of stairs quick as the wind. Out of the block in what seemed hours, chaos finally rushed into his vision. Ambulances and police everywhere. Armoured DRA vehicles everywhere. Military helicopters circled overhead. The noises mixing, deafening.

Aukai was surprised he could hear the screaming. Only the sounds of real pain could penetrate the clash of all the noise around him. Either that or his extraordinary hearing had become even better because of his repetitive, isolated lifestyle of paperworking into the early morning.

Before he knew the situation he spotted Chester, for the first time in his life he'd spotted the shortish man running with his phone glued to his ear. Panic laced his face, he soon disappeared into the flurry of people pushing, crying and screaming before him.

Aukai followed his tracks, before he could process it he was also battling through the crowd. Around him, people scrambled as Eclipse's dragons were finally unloaded from one of the lorries that had just pulled into the open space. Vulcan, Ara and Raiden's were unloaded first, each looking in perfect form as dragon handlers carefully escorted them away to be tended to. But then the second truck arrived, and Aukai held his breath as he saw the final two unload. Fury still had blood dripping from his mouth, and the dragon of the new girl was covered in gaping claw marks, small scars would certainly form on her scales.

And then he saw Eclipse themselves.

Raiden held Ara back. His arms locked around her waist as she kicked, screamed and shook her whole body back and forth. She was the source of that blood curdling screech. Water droplets were pooling from the abandoned puddles on the concrete, the sea surrounding the island, rising and falling, as if about to erupt like a volcano. This - Ara's own power - threatening to unleash itself upon everyone who stood in her way. At this point in time, that included Raiden. His face looked like he'd been struck by his own disabling power, as he babbled incoherent words that wouldn't reach her.

She wasn't listening. Just crying. Crying for whoever was in the back of that ambulance.

Next into sight - Mitzi. The new girl. She looked twice as bad as Ara. Mascara all over her face. No, not mascara. It was blood, dried so much it looked black.

Aukai felt sick.

Vulcan stepped out of that ambulance, his signature glasses tucked into his uniform pocket. Eyes smeared by dirt and tears. His hands and face smothered in blood. Not his blood.

Adonis' blood.

Winnie was suddenly at his side, as were Eris and Yuki, two of his teammates. Eris was only smiling at the commotion, he'd muttered some words and something about Eclipse drawing attention to themselves again. Yuki only glanced before she stood in front of Aukai, a cold hand on his forehead. He didn't look at them, shook them off as eyes stayed fixated on Vulcan and that forbidden crimson that was dripping off of him.

Vulcan pulled his eyes away from the back of that ambulance, and for whatever reason, looked straight over into Aukai's direction.

Their eyes met for the first time in almost two years.

The sound of the defibrillators went off again.

Vulcan started crying.

And Aukai vomited where he stood.

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chapter 7.5, end.
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