Part 121: [continued]
All four of them were still there when we arrived.
They seemed to have calmed down a bit, but the tension in the air was almost visible.
I felt like I'd stepped into a room full of flamable gas. Even the smallest spark could turn the whole place into a raging inferno.
Even K, usually so calm and collected, was standing ramrod-straight with his hand balled into a fist at his side.
I looked at Alice, pursed my lips, and then headed over to the angry knot of people occupying most of the room.
This whole thing is stupid. You need to knock it off.
Listen in: [English/Japanese]
Stupid?!
What about this is stupid?!
We're talking about my life you self-righteous dick!
I know!
But yelling at each other isn't going to solve your problem!
The best thing for us to do right now is to trust each other and get through this.
Wouldn't you agree?
Hmph. Hard to trust someone who tried to kill me.
I told you letting Dio vote was a stupid idea. What did you think he was going to do?
You might as well have pressed the button yourself!
I couldn't just leave Quark alone.
That's no excuse.
And where do you get off telling me I shouldn't have picked "betray"?
Did you even think that through? What, I was supposed to pick "ally"?
If I'd done that, I'd be dead right now!
I could say the same thing to you!
Damn good thing Dio didn't choose "ally"!
Sigma's right. This isn't the time to be bickering with each other.
Oh you don't get to talk.
You tried to betray Clover and escape on your own!
Perhaps, but I think that's better than nearly killing someone...
W-Well I only did it so that she wouldn't kill Tenmyouji!
Argh! Goddamnit!
Enough already!
[Music fades out]
I roared with fury, and my voice echoed and rebounded off the walls of the warehouse.
Everyone fell silent.
I didn't know how long that silence would last, so I decided to put it all on the table.
There was only one way I was going to be able to take control of the situation...
Guys, listen to me.
We really don't have time for this.
I was met with a number of glares, but I soldiered on.
See, the thing is... I figured out who planted the bombs.
Listen in: [English/Japanese]
Is this what you were talking about earlier?
Sort of, yeah. I know which one of you it is.
Well spit it out, then.
Please, explain what's going on here.
I don't think I need to.
They're going to admit their guilt in just a few minutes.
Wh-What...?
You're all going to hear it straight from the horse's mouth.
VLR OST: [Clarification]
What are you on?
You think I set those bombs?
Yes I do.
Hey, if you're gonna accuse me, you better have some pretty damn good evidence, pal.
I'm not accusing you. I'm just stating a fact.
Oh yeah? And where the hell'd you get that "fact"?
Fun as it was, I knew taunting alone wouldn't be enough to make Dio confess.
He'd just play dumb—-he was good at it-—and I'd get nothing.
That meant I was going to have to trick him.
Free the...Soul?
What's that? Some kinda hippie shoe company?
Don't play dumb, Dio. Or should I call you...Left?
Brother ordered me to come here.
To keep an eye on you.
It was quick, but for just a moment I saw his eyes twitch.
I leapt on that moment of weakness like a hungry dog on a steak.
Fine.
Skepticism is understandable. Admirable, even.
But perhaps this will convince you...
I pressed forward, pulling out every fact I could remember.
I told Dio about Brother's background, and how his younger brother, Left, had been murdered. I mentioned casually that the Myrmidons were all clones of a single person.
So? Still not convinced?
How about this...
7815361098838094241990551... Do a little prime factor decomposition on that, and you'll get 198449351 to the third power.
If I'm not who I say I am, how on Earth could I possibly know that?
Listen in (very satisfying): [English/Japanese]
Finally.
...
...
So. Let's start over, shall we?
I was sent here to watch your every move.
It seems our wise and noble Brother doesn't trust you. He suspects betrayal.
No! You're lying!
I assure you, I'm not. But if you don't believe me, why don't you go outside and call him yourself with your transmitter?
No! No! You have to be lying!
Brother trusts me!
That's why he chose me for this mission!
Huh? Sorry, what was that?
I said, why would he have made me the leader of the Myrmidons if—
I grinned.
W-Wait...what the hell...
Sorry, Dio.
I've never even seen Brother.
Then what the hell was all that?!
How did you know all those things!?
Donno. Maybe I was divinely inspired?
Don't give me that shit!
What are these "Myrmidons"?
Dio and I stared at one another while Clover and Alice quickly explained to Phi and K about the memory card and the number two bomb, and about the code we'd found that was from a terrorist organization called the Myrmidons.
[Music fades out]
So you mean to say someone from the Myrmidons planted the bombs?
And Dio pretty much just admitted to doing it?
Yeah.
[Music fades out]
Bastards... I'll never forgive you...
I heard a low, furious muttering behind me, and turned to see Alice, her lips pulled back into a snarl.
Her voice rose to a scream as she charged toward Dio.
He ducked out of the way smoothly, and pulled something from his pocket.
VLR OST: [Strain]
Listen in: [English/Japanese]
I like my women a little feisty, but you're taking it a little too far, sweetheart. Tone it down.
What?!
You see this? You know what it is, don't you?
O-Oh my God... Is that... Is that the detonator?
Exactly.
Then I assume you know what happens if I press this button?
Yes, I think I do...
I'm guessing it'll set off both of the bombs?
Mmm, well, I wouldn't say "both"...
You mean there's still a number one bomb we haven't found.
Correct. And there's one more too...
No... There're four bombs?!
Exactly. I've planted four bombs.
There are the ones numbered one, two, and three, but there's also one more.
Bomb number zero.
Add all that up, and you're looking at about four tons of explosive power.
Those go off, and it's all over.
That's enough oomph to turn this whole place into a smoking crater.
Aren't you forgetting something?
That'd kill you too.
So? I'm ready for that.
Spares...? Is that what Sigma was talking about?
Yeah, clones.
I heard Alice whisper something to Clover.
Let's go, Clover.
Show him all that training wasn't for nothing.
Huh? Oh, yeah. Right.
Before I had a chance to ask them what was going on, they moved.
Yeaaaaaaaaa!
She roared and leapt toward Dio, Clover following just behind.
Alice threw a punch at Dio's face, and as he dodged Clover spun out from behind her.
Dio grunted and turned to focus on Alice, but Clover darted in and snatched the detonator from his hand.
Listen in: [English/Japanese]
Clover, get him!
Right!
Sigma! Catch!
Huh...?
Before I could respond, Clover had thrown the detonator at me.
I scrambled to grab it out of the air, and held it to my chest.
I said let go of me, you asshole!
[Music fades out]
Yelling didn't do him any good, and Dio found himself subdued by the skillful teamwork of Alice and Clover.
Strangely, though, once they had ahold of him he stopped struggling.
I was reminded of a gazelle with its neck in the mouth of a lion....
Had he surrendered? Or did he have some trick up his sleeve?
It didn't feel right.
I didn't have to wait long for my misgivings to prove true.
The detonator in my hand suddenly began to flash.
