(Remaster) The Abyss Calls Out

Waking the Dragon

Screams echoed in the small room, as a pair of horribly tired yellow eyes stared into the screen, watching with nary a blink as the horrors of Humans being devoured displayed on screen. They leaned back, sighing as another cup of coffee was downed.

"Iowa...how could you even do this...?" His voice sounded so tired and weak, the man missing out on hours, even days of sleep as he worked tirelessly to make the next weapon to use against the Abyss.

Yes, Teiro Akiji, the creator of most of the Kansens, including Iowa herself, was currently at work making another one. He was hoping that a Kansen of this caliber would step up to defeat Iowa, or at the very least take down the monstrous Abyssal he saw on screen tonight.

He left the small room, taking along his cup as the large central vat in his laboratory hummed with gentle lights, housing a Wisdom cube floating in it's center. This cube was one he poured so much work into, all to create and awaken the younger relative of greatest Kansen known to date.

One he made himself as well.

"Let's see..." Teiro looked to the panel below the vat, seeing several dials and numbers that only a select few scientists could truly understand thanks to the mechanics of it. "Coming along as expected...estimated time: Five months...dammit!"

He was frustrated, as anyone would be in his shoes. A Kansen that could possibly tip the scales in Humanities' favor is going to take so long to even awaken, let alone train her up to be able to fight.

"How the hell am I gonna do this..."

"A little stuck?"

Teiro spun around at the voice, staring up at the catwalks as he saw the figure of a woman, one taller than he was, and definitely a model...well...unless you knew her actual profession that is. She smiled, her silvery-blue eyes and hair looking as wonderful as ever to the man she was looking at.

"Kaoru? When did you—"

"I asked, and they gave me the keys to this place." The woman, revealed as Kaoru Akiji, his wife, hopped over the rails and to his level, rolling to cushion the fall before dusting herself off and striding over. "Besides, you haven't been home in days, so I came to you myself."

Teiro stared at her for a moment, just sighing as he leaned into her for a hug. "I'm beat..."

"I'm sure you are dear, so what's the hold up on your coming home?"

Still in the hug, he pointed to the vat, where Kaoru saw the Wisdom cube floating there. "Oh, making another one? I guess the Kansen do need help in this war."

"Not just that..." He pulled away from the hug, looking much more energetic and alive then before. "It's one that should hopefully shift the whole war."

Kaoru looked back to him, seeing the glimmer in his eyes, one that she recognized from long ago. "Tei...I know that look, and I know you well. You're gonna make another Iowa, aren't you?"

He scoffed, moving over to the console. "Yeah, and? Iowa's prowess was unbelievable, and with some assistance from others, she might be just as, if not even better than her! But...the only issue is time."

"Right, Iowa took a year to fully develop didn't she? How's this one doing?"

He pointed to the console. "I'm sure you can read this right? Anyways, I've been at her for a few months now, estimates show she'll take about as long as Iowa did."

Kaoru hummed and walked up to the tank, peering in at the cube that would ultimately be Teiro's new masterpiece, the one made long after his first great work, Iowa. She tapped the glass, seeing the cube flash in response, meaning it was healthy and "alive" so to speak.