Some people have issues, the others are dead. I just don't bother hiding my issues.

-maniac

I keep stomping towards the main office room, Crow's swords zooming all around me. Killing any stragglers still inside the building. As I come upon the door to what I assume is the main office, I am slightly taken by surprise by it just opening up without me having to do anything. In the now-open doorway stands a vaguely Japanese-looking man in a red suit.

“You are late. Come in,” he says as he gestures for us to walk inside.

I slowly walk inside, checking the office for any hidden weapons or tricks. But the office seems rather what you would call functional. It is not like other CEO offices, where there is a lot of stuff that is just there to show power or something.

Still, I am not really in the mood to appreciate the minimalism of it all. Instead, I just kick the desk, sending it flying through the room and out of the window.

I turn around to the guy who has lost his smile, but only slightly so. “Listen here, you unlikable piece of sewer trash. If you have something to say, say it otherwise, I am chucking you out just like the furniture.”

“Don’t worry, miss. All will be revealed in due time.” The man sighs. “But I guess you don’t have time for the whole explanation, so I guess the short one will do.”

I nod as I raise my sword. "Start talking before I reveal your guts to the floor.”

The man gives a short nod. “The world is in a bit of a rough state, you see. Companies rise and fall as they try to exploit the few bastions of humanity. Samurai running around unchecked sometimes doing more harm than good. That is what we are trying to stop.” He says, throwing his arms wide before bubbling over in a coughing fit.

“That doesn’t sound healthy.” I comment, not impressed with his whole speech.

According to the medical files, he has stage four cancer. Lyssa informs me.

“That is probably poetic in some way that I can’t quite come up with right now.” I say as I sift through his data. “But isn’t this a bit too much time to spend at a hospital to, like run a company?”

“I can look at movement patterns,” Evelin helpfully chimes in.

I give a curt nod and turn back to the man, who is wiping some blood from the corner of his mouth. “So how exactly are you planning to stop anything? Building an army of child soldiers is not the way to go, that is for sure”

“Simple,” the man says as he collects himself. “However much companies would like to pretend otherwise, the people in power are not them but the Samurai with a direct link to our alien overlords, so that is what we made. Children trained from birth to be the perfect Samurai, training them from a young age to make the best decisions for humanity.”

“Oh, so you were not trying to make an army of brainwashed child soldiers. You were just trying to make an army of brainwashed Samurai. How in the hell is that any better?” I shout out at him coming in closer with my sword.

“Maniac, wait.” Evelin interrupts me.

“What” I growl at her with more bite than intended.

“He was in the hospital until recently. That helicopter was not for extracting anyone; it was to bring him here.” Evelin quickly follows up.

“What does that mean?” I ask, feeling a bit confused.

“Best guess looking at the money and stuff. His wife just got some big investors, setting her and the rest of his family up for life.” Evelin starts.

“He is a fall guy. Those still exist?” I blurred out.

“It appears so; we should check this place from top to bottom for life signs to see if the real boss is still hiding somewhere.” Evelin suggests.

I nod then turn to C-3PO’s stunned brother. “Keep an eye on him, I need to check something.”

He does not really nod, his suit’s head lacking a neck and all that, but I feel that he at least somewhat acknowledges what I say. I quickly sweep the room, by sighed and sensors checking everything. When that yields no results I start opening every door and cabinet I can find, quite literally ripping some of them off their hinges. I really should appreciate how strong I have gotten more often.

When that search also produces nothing I start just picking stuff up and throwing it around, seeing if that created any reaction whatsoever. But unless you count the fact that this place is a complete mess, I don’t really achieve anything.

“I might have something,” Crow speaks up once I have calmed down a bit. I really should pay more attention to my emotions. They have been getting a bit out of hand lately.

“What do you have?” I ask once I have taken a deep breath.

“There.” She floats one of her swords at the left wall. “The dimensions on the other side of the wall don't match up, almost like there is an additional space in between. But there is no entrance.”

I nod. A hidden room does make sense. I quickly take out one of my swords and aim it at the wall and push through slowly at first, but once the tip is a good way in it slips as the resistance falls away and the sword sinks in about halfway down the blade.

“Would you look at that there is a room behind here.” I say as my face split into a grin.

I use my weight to lean down on the blade and cut a line all the way to the floor. Then I stick my hand into the gap and pull, ripping off a good chunk off the wall. I hear a small scream as I do so. I start grinning even wider as I start ripping apart the rest of the wall, finding that hidden within it is a small Asian woman.

“So, you are the real boss then.” I state with a smile.

Facial recognition identifies her as Meline Wu, third daughter of the Opera Corp conglomerate. Has no known job or close acquaintances.

“Well, I guess if you can’t inherit your family's company, the logical next best thing is to create your own evil company that experiments on children,” I say, looking down on the woman.

“You know nothing,” the woman hisses at me.

“Probably, but for once I don’t think I want to know more.” I say, feeling almost nothing for the woman. No, that is not right. For the monster before me. “Lyssa, I remember there being a plant in Australia that if you get stung, the pain is so bad you want to kill yourself.”

Lyssa thinks you are talking about the Dendrocnide moroides.

“Good, I am going to need a dose of that and some kind of poison that will kill in, let's say, twenty-four hours.” I request as I snap open my fingers, revealing the needles hidden inside.

Will do.

I sink the needles into her skin as I get closer. “Let this be at least half as agonizing as all the anguish you have caused the children.”

“You can’t do this. You need me. Without me, who will take care of the children and make sure they are raised correctly?” The woman hisses at me as she starts to crumble in pain.

I point my thumb at myself and in a chorus of three distinct voices we speak. “We will. The children are ours now, and we won’t give them to anyone nor allow anyone to ever hurt them again.”

I am not sure the message gets through to the woman as she is bubbled over in agony, but it is good to get the statement out there at least.

I turn back to Bulwark. “Any chance I can get a lift home? I feel kind of numb.”

Bulwark turns and starts walking out. I turn to the man who is still in the room looking at me with big eyes. With one quick swipe, I depart his head from his body and follow Bulwark out.

As we walk the halls out of the building I create a simple message and use Lyssa’s access to blast it over the internet. Within minutes, the faces of the people of this Protectors forsaken company are all over the net with one simple message.

[Notice: these people are on the PsyCo HITLIST. Proof of neutralisation of one of these targets will be rewarded with a hundred samurai points. Happy hunting.

- Maniac]

Bulwark turns around slightly as his AI comments on the situation.

Was that really necessary?

“I would go after the bastards myself, but I have the feeling I am going to be very busy soon trying to raise two girls,” I answer.

So you’re really taking them as your own?

“I mean, one is for sure mine anyway, so I am keeping her. This one is somewhat older, so probably not genetically related, but with what she has gone through, I think she could use some safety and stability.” I answer as we reach the car.

I open the back door, and Bulwark places the girl on the back seat. I crawl in behind her, lifting her head and putting it on my lap. Bulwark moves to the driving seat, and we leave this Protectors forsaken place in relative quiet.

I however, soon get distracted by the pieces of metal still sticking to the girl and start the process of slowly removing some of the pieces to finally free her head. The monotony and the precision of the works does wonders in finely calming down my roiling emotions. That is, until I get a call.

“Hey love.” I say as I open the call.

“Hey to you too. I finally managed to put our daughter to bed, but she kept asking for you. Are you almost home?” Cierra asks.

“Our daughter?” I ask, a bit stupefied.

“Yeah, the little kid, we are definitely keeping her, so our daughter.” Cierra says in a tone that brooks no argument.

“Yeah, you are right. We are on our way back with her big sister.” I say as I stroke the girl's long red hair.

“There was another kid?” Cierra says in surprise.

“There were a lot more, but from what we can tell, only two survived,” I say in a sombre tone.

“I…, well fuck.” Cierra says. “Just make it home safe, I’ll be going off to bed. It's been a long day. Wake me up when you get home?”

I smile to myself. “I will try, yeah. Will visit the med bay first though.”

“Okay, good night. Love you.”

“I love you too”.

With that, the connection is cut, leaving me alone with my thoughts again, including one raptly crystallising issue.

We don’t have any children's rooms set up.