The Broken Doll

Chapter 5

V was working on a way for the serum to stop causing brain damage. The headset he wore blinked silently and occasionally beeped in his ear. His queen watched over his shoulder with slight admiration as he examined and applied the components that would ensure that no damage would occur; he even added some components that allowed the serum to act faster than before. Finally, he held up a vial of liquid.

"It is done, my queen," he said blankly.

"This will work?" she asked.

"Yes, my queen."

Shing took the vial approvingly. "Thank you. This will prove more efficient. Do me a favor and bring me Kaito. I need to see if he's well enough to take the headset off."

V bowed and left the room to search for Kaito, who was already up and about since three days ago. Shing exited the room and went back to her prisoners, who have been moved back to the cells. Right now, Yuma was bringing them back out and strapping them in. He himself was already off of the headset.

"Yuma, stop this," Kotori pleaded. "This isn't like you! Stop before you regret anything!"

Yuma briefly glanced at her with those empty eyes. "Kotori, you should know that remorse is the last thing I feel right now."

"What would Astral say, huh!? What would he think of this!?"

Yuma proceeded to strap her down. Her questions didn't even give him pause. "He isn't here, is he? So that isn't important. What is important is that my queen rules the city like it should be."

"That's right, my pet," Shing purred, pleased with her knight.

"But that's insane!!" Kotori exclaimed.

"Only to those who don't see reason. Don't worry, my dear. You'll see reason soon enough."

Kotori glared at Shing while Yuma went back to the jail to retrieve Cathy. It was decided that the girls would be recruited at the same time to save time. After that, Tetsuo and Takashi would go together. They would be recruited two-by-two; it was decided by both Shing and Yuma.

"They'll catch you soon!" Kotori spat. "You won't get away with this!"

Shing smiled sweetly. "No, they won't, Kotori. I'll make sure of it."

Yuma came back with Cathy, who gave up hope a while ago. Now, she wasn't struggling at all. He strapped her down with no problem, and he connected them both to the tubes so the serum could enter their bodies.

"Ready, you two?" Shing asked, but she didn't really care if they were or not. Without waiting for an answer, she flicked the switch.

Both girls tried to resist the effects if the serum, but unfortunately, V also made it stronger and harder to resist. They succumbed to the serum quickly. Shing was smiling widely. The serum was working as promised! The brain waves were still steady and strong.

"Excellent!" she exclaimed, releasing them from their bonds. "Now, stand up."

The two girls stood up without any weakness. After assigning the girls to different roles, Cathy with the boys to train and Kotori as her maid, Shing went back to the other room to check up on Kaito. Like a good soldier, he was already seated and relaxed on the chair.

"How are you feeling today, Kaito?" Shing asked as she hooked Kaito up to the machine. 

"Refreshed," was his immediate response. "The headset you gave me cleared my mind. Thank you, my lady."

Shing smiled and checked his brain waves. Her smile widened; his waves were very strong indeed, and it was an amazement to see that he didn't need the headset anymore. "Well, Kaito, you're in luck. Your brain is free of damage, and you can take the headset off now."