Daemon Hunter Moushigo

_Chapter 3 - Hacker

By: Mune Metsukai_

Disclaimer: All characters are copyright Mune Metsukai. All characters and places are completely fictional, and should be viewed as such. This story contains some mature content and should not be viewed by any individual under the age of 18 years. If you are under the age of 18, please refrain from reading further. I take no responsibility for any psychiatric damage this story may cause, read at your own discretion. Send comments to [email protected] . I do not enjoy hate mail, so please refrain from sending such unconstructive criticism. Thank you for reading.

"Just one more line..."

The boy's fingers fly over the keys of the laptop computer. Digits flash across the monitor. The reflection of the codes flicker in his low sitting reading glasses. The little skunk bites his lower lip as his finger tips dance over the keyboard with very little noise. His peacock green eyes scan the monitor in front of him carefully, cautious to make not a single mistake.

"Almost there..." The skunk whispers to himself.

The fifteen-year-old skunk is very good looking, sweet a more excellent descriptor. He is covered in silky black fur with two perpendicular white stripes moving down his back to the very tip of his very fluffy tail. He is not very muscular. He has a bit of a belly, the baby fat still clinging to his smallish frame, but he is generally slender and fit.

The skunk holds his breath as he puts in the final code. The screen flashes the download message to him. The disc in the laptop's external burner begins to spin rapidly, the data saving from the hacked database.

"Oni. How much longer?"

The skunk straightens out his headset. "Are you kidding? This database is huge and may take awhile."

"Listen, if you get busted in there kid, there is nothing I can do to get you the hell out of there."

"I know that Ishi-san, just give me a little more time." The skunk asks pleadingly. The download moves slowly as the skunk watches it closely. "Come on..."

The monitor flashes a message in large red letter. The skunk's eyes widen, panic grips him. "A trace?!" He disconnects his laptop from the office's network computer. He stuffs the laptop into his backpack and grabs the data disc hurriedly.

"Ishi! They traces the download!"

"Can you make it out!?"

The skunk opens the office door enough to look out into the hall. He could hear footsteps, rushing towards his location. "They're on their way here..."

"Then so am I!"

Oni looks around for a place to hide. "What do I do?"

"Stay alive."

********************

Ishi loads both of his submachine guns and tucks them back into his trench coat. He looks across to the lab facility. He would have to at least be on the same floor as the skunk if his plan were to work. He counts floors until he reaches the tenth floor. He adjusts a device and grins slightly. "Let the games begin..."

The grey wolf is of a fair muscular build, nicely built to average of any eighteen-year-old. He is covered in mostly grey fur, mixed with white, black, and a tinge of red in his scruffy tail. His hair is midnight black with a crimson streak, cut short. He is very handsome with his emerald green eyes, but he looks very serious almost all the time.

The wolf moves to the other side of the roof top. He takes a deep breath. He breaks into a run back to the other side of the building. He reaches the edge of the roof and leaps into the air. The distance would be hard to cover, but he already knew exactly what to do. He could feel the wind rushing around him as he began to fall towards the ground. Ishi pulls out his grappling gun and fires as the ground grows constantly closer. The cable sails through the air with the grappling hook, lodging itself perfectly in place on the lab building.

Ishi swings through the air, the wall racing at him violently. Welcome to the tenth floor!" He crashes through the window feet first; glass exploding into the office beyond. The wolf tucks and rolls over the floor. He quickly flips to his feet with guns in hand. Alarms sound all through the facility. "That's right you bastards, come to me!"

The wolf kicks in the office door and enters the hall. The red lights flash furiously at the intruder, threatening to blind him. Soldiers rush to the intruder's location.

"Oni. I'm in. Stay put!"

"Right!"

Ishi blows away three soldiers coming at him, loading their guns. "Morons. You're supposed to do that before confronting the enemy."

The wolf starts running through the hall, his boots beating noisily the linoleum floors as he moves swiftly. He already knew which office Oni would be in, they though it would be the best one. "Yea... right..." The wolf rounds a corner and opens fire. Bullets hiss through the air towards the shocked guards. A few others move into offices seeking cover. The wolf ducks back around the corner. "Crap! Oni, can you get out!?"

Oni loads his own handgun and takes a shaking breath. "I can always try; right?"

"Don't get yourself killed kid." The wolf puts away the machine guns and loads his rifle. He palms a flash grenade and throws it towards the guards. The flash momentarily blinds them. Ishi moves into position and fires. The bullet splits into pieces, hitting many of the guards in one blast. He takes his handgun into his other hand and fires at another of the guards.

Oni moves into the hall. To his surprise, a guard lifts him up by the throat and pins him against the wall. "We found our little hacker... stupid kid, you should have stayed were you were."

The skunk struggles for a moment before he realizes he still has his gun. He pulls the trigger and gets the guard in the leg. The larger male cries out and drops the boy. "Damn it!" He glares angrily at the skunk. "You little bastard!" Oni presses against the wall, swallowing nervously.

A gun fires. The soldier drops to the floor in a puddle of blood. Oni looks up to see Ishi.

"Get up and lets go kid!"

Oni stands on wobbly legs and follows his friend through the halls. "Thanks for helping me back there."

"You screwed up Oni. You should be dead right now!" Ishi snaps at him. He fires at a window ahead of them.

"Are you nuts?! That's tend stories!"

"Damn right!"

The wolf leaps through the window. He drives a spike into the wall as he begins to drop. The skunk hesitates, then guards enter the hall and begin to shoot. Oni decides to take his chances. He leaps out into the open air and begins falling. Ishi grabs the boy's wrist and growls slightly. "You're heavier than you look..."

"I had a big dinner..." the skunk says with a bit of a whine.

Ishi unlocks the device attached to the spike, a cord beginning to unravel. They begin towards the ground. "They'll most likely be gathering their soldiers throughout the parameter. Be ready."

"Okay."

Ishi notices a guard far below, loading a missile launcher. "Shit! Brace yourself Oni!"

Oni takes notice just as the wolf presses the release button on the grapple device. They fall rapidly the final six stories to the ground. The soldier fires the missile upwards at his target. Ishi pulls out his customized blaster and fires the explosive ammo. An explosion tears apart the side of the building. Ishi keeps hold of the younger skunk. He throws away his gun and grabs a part of the crumbled wall, seizing their free fall.

The skunk trembles as he registers everything that is going on around him.

"Oni. Climb up!"

The skunk nods and climbs back into the building. Ishi follows behind. "Now stay close to me."

"No problem there."

"Are you even worth all this trouble?"

"I resent that!"

"Shut up and keep moving!"

Ishi reloads his submachine guns and moves stealthily through the dark halls. The only light offered being the blinking red alarms. "Figures we would get stuck on the third floor." The wolf kicks in the door to the emergency stairwell. The two hurry down the stairs, eager to escape the enemy facility. They reach the first floor and Ishi smashes down the door to the outside.

The soldier outside immediately shot at them.

Ishi shoves Oni aside and ducks into cover himself. "Almost out of ammo... I'll have to make do."

Oni takes out his extra clip and tosses it to the wolf. "You have a better aim than I do."

Ishi reloads his handgun and shoves it into his jacket. "Lets go kid." The wolf moves into the door way and opens fire with his submachine guns. Bullets pierce the air and meet their marks. The wolf breaks into a run with Oni close behind. "Go ahead! I'll cover you kid!"

The skunk hurries ahead. Ishi turns and keeps firing until he runs out of ammunition. He tosses them down and back-flips behind a small crate, supplying some cover. He readies his handgun. The skunk glances at him from his own hiding place. "What now?" Oni asks. Ishi studies the present situation. "The fence is a yard away... we go for it." The wolf pulls out another grenade. He throws it at the fence quickly, the explosion making an opening for them to escape. "Run!"

Oni leans against an alley wall, gasping for breath. They had been running for nearly fifteen minutes without a break. He was exhausted. "Think they followed us this far?" Oni pants.

Ishi looks out of the alley and into the busy streets. It was midnight, but the streets of Arkane were still quite busy. "They won't create a scene, especially out in public like this."

"Can we go home now?"

"Sure... We'll talk when we get back..."

*************************

"Alex..."

"What now...?"

"My brother and Oni were supposed to be back an hour ago... weren't they?"

Alex; the seventeen-year-old kangaroo looks at the time. He is covered in sienna tan fur that is quite short. His voice is soothing, yet strong all at once. He has messy topaz hair, and brown eyes. He loves living life to the fullest, and is the hunter's stealth attacker on important missions. He has a fair build. A tattoo on his right shoulder blade is of a rose and around his left upper arm of vines and thorns.

"They are fine..."

Rane Kyougi; Ishi's half brother. The coyote, part grey wolf was also a Farlale. His grey wings folded along his back. He is fourteen-years-old. His fur is a mottled brown, black, and gray. His dark green hair is shoulder length, which he normally has tied back. His eyes are aquamarine in color. He is adorable and quite petit in shape. He stands now with his arms crossed and looking very irritated.

"You know Ishi can find a way out of just about any problem."

Rane looks skeptical. He knew without a doubt that Ishi would be perfectly fine. He was more concerned about a certain skunk. The coyote had a major crush on the skunk for a long time, and he actually caught himself on many occasions flirting with the skunk or staring. They spent most of their free time together, and Rane enjoyed every minute of it. He wondered why he found it so hard to tell the skunk how he felt. It should be easy, he thought, everyone even knew that the skunk was homosexual; why should the coyote worry so much? Was it that no one knew he was gay that was stopping him?

"Rane... You're not worried about Ishi are you? Oni is most likely just as fine as your brother."

The farlale wraps his wings around himself and sighs. "I know... I am worried about both of them. Oni is my best friend after all."

"Just sit back and relax pup."

Rane growls; "I am not a pup!"

"What are you whining about this time pup?" Ishi grins widely at the door.

The coyote glares. "Shut up you jerk!"

Oni steps in from behind the gray wolf, smiling brightly. Rane's expression lightens immediately. "Oni-san!" "Heya Rane." The skunk chuckles. Rane hugs him tightly until he realizes Alex and his brother are staring.

"Well... That mission was a bust." Ishi growls.

Oni grins mischievously; "We did get a good amount of data in the download." The skunk takes out his laptop and the data disk. He turns the laptop on and slips the CD in. "Lets see what we got..." The files blink across the screen, Oni analyzes them carefully and a grin crosses his face again. "We got more than I thought. Almost all data on the Vaescalas project is here." The skunk says.

Ishi leans to look over the boy's shoulder. "Those genetically altered freaks, right?"

"Yea. We are missing some of the vital data though."

"Can you analyze what you did get?"

"Mhmm."

"Awesome." Ishi looks over at Rane. "It is past midnight, shouldn't you be thinking of bed?"

"... whatever..." Rane stomps up the stairs.

Alex gazes at the gray wolf. He growls slightly before speaking; "Rane is not seven you know. He is fourteen and a lot more mature than we all give him credit for." Ishi stands upright and glares. "He is my responsibility nonetheless. I make the rules, not you Alexander."

Oni shifts nervously in his seat before adding to the discussion. "I think Alex is right... You treat Rane like he were just a little kid... He needs a bit more freedom than what you have been giving him."

Ishi snarls angrily; "You shouldn't talk right now kid. You screwed up tonight, remember?! And, you're just a pup yourself; abandoned by his no good parents." The wolf goes upstairs to his room in a huff.

Oni lowers his gaze, tears in his eyes.

Alex crosses his arms. "He always has to be in control... He grew up way too fast since their mother was killed and Rane's father disowned them..."

Oni nods his head slowly.

"Are you alright Oni?"

"Y...yea. I'll be okay..."

Oni spends an hour trying to decrypt the data before deciding to call it a night. He closes the laptop and walks upstairs, stopping at Rane's door. He knocks softly, hearing the coyote's voice come from the other side. "Come in, if you're not my jerk of an older brother."

Oni opens the door and steps into the dimly lit room. "Rane-san... You alright?" "Sure, just a little peeved." The coyote answers solemnly. Leaning into his blankets, he sighs. Oni hops onto the younger boy's bed. "Don't let him get to you Rane-san."

"I know." Rane sits up and smiles at the skunk. "How did the mission go?"

"It was going fine until they traced my hack."

They both go momentarily silent. Oni breaks the silence finally. "Rane... Alex told me how worried you were..."

"Umm... yea."

"I just want you to know... I appreciate that you would think about me enough to worry." Oni smiles, his eyes watching Rane. "I don't think I've ever had anyone think twice about me let alone worry about my safety." He looks down at the blankets, breaking eye contact with the coyote. "You can tell me anything, you know that right? What is on your mind?"

"Nothing."

"Are you sure? You just seem a bit nervous around me lately, was it something I did or said?"

"No. Don't worry about it."

"You positive?"

"Mhmm." The coyote moves closer to the skunk. Oni wraps an arm around the fourteen-year-old's waist and tugs him close. The skunk lets the canine rest his head on his shoulder. "Do you think I can sleep with you again... tonight?"

"You been having nightmares again Rane?"

"Yea."

"Sure you can sleep with me Rane-san."

The farlale murrs and relaxes in his friend's grasp, feeling completely at ease. He felt warm and safe.

To Be Continued...