Part Seven:

( Stunned, Kananno and Koemi stare for a moment, until they're each handed a robe. Koemi quickly pulls hers on, but Kananno is still staring at Oda, who's walked away.)
Koemi: (Whispering) Kan, would you put your robe on?
(Kananno pulls it over his head, but loses the neck hole. As he's wrestling with it, he accidentally knocks the chip off his neck)
Kananno: (Voice muffled as he's talking through the robe) How the hell did they get Rei?
Koemi: I've no idea, but we have to get her out of here! We can't let our Lieutenant be sacrificed.
Kananno: (Finally pulling his head through the hole. His hair is all mussed and he's wearing an expression of annoyance. Dryly) No kidding.
Koemi: (Alarmed) Kan! Your chip! It must have fallen off! You look like you! Find it! (Instantly the two are thrown into a panic, searching frantically for the chip. They find it on the floor) Move your head so I can place this on… Oh NO!
Kananno: Oh no? Now what?
Koemi: I've some bad news.
Kananno: Just put the chip on. I don't wanna hear any more bad news. We have to get Rei out of here.
Koemi: You're chip's life is almost spent up!
Kananno: (Head snapping towards Koemi) What? Is that a joke?
Koemi: No, look! (Offers him the chip) What do we do?
Kananno: Move your head. Let me see. (Inspecting her chip) Christ, so isn't yours.
Koemi: If our chip dies in the middle of this, we're screwed. What do we do?
Kananno: Run like hell, NOW!
Koemi: And leave Rei? I can't do that. You go. I'll figure out a way to get her out of here. Gimme your chip before you go, that way I'll have more time.
Kananno: (A little bothered) I'm not leaving you. What's your problem? C'mon, stick this on and lets get in there.
(Koemi sets the chip on his neck, and instantly his features convert. When they walk back into the room, they see a petrified Rei secured to a large board stained with the blood from previous sacrifices. Gathered around her is the rest of the clan all praying to her feet, chanting in a low murmur: To the Lord, our Meijing. Oda notices them instantly)
Oda: In honor of our new guests, we will allow them to make the first incision. Right up her stomach, and you, boy, horizontally on her stomach, creating the cross of Righteousness.
Koemi: (boldly) We'd be flattered and happy to do so.
(They start to move towards the platform with Rei on it, when a loud pop blasts through the room and Kananno screams, grabbing his neck.)
Koemi: (Alarmed) KAN…(realizing her mistake, and figuring no one heard her through their own yelps of alarm) Reece! Reece are you ok? (Only able to see the top of Kan's robe and his back, Koemi sees his hand pull away from his neck, and covered in blood.) Ka-Reece? What's wrong? What happened?
(Kananno looks up at her, his eyes full of fear. His disguise is gone, and where the chip had been is now scorched skin, not totally cauterized, and bleeding. He looks worriedly down at his bloodied hand, and then back up at her)
Kananno: (screaming) RUN!
(He jumps up and with a wide swing, whips out his TL114, and starts blasting. Koemi realizes her diversion and quickly jumps over the alter and , pulling off her own chip, and dropping it in her pocket, she starts to untie Rei, who's practically crying with joy)
Rei: (through sobs) I thought I was done for! Thank God for you two!
Koemi: Thank us when we're safely back at GH!
Rei: (Suddenly) Kananno!
(Koemi turns quickly just in time to see seven of the disciples leap onto him. Once he's down on the ground, they start kicking, and beating him (some even grab peices of wood and piping). His TL114 is thrown across the room and clatters under one of the rotted pews. Koemi quickly pulls Rei down and then blasts two of her laser discs. Now she's brought the other's attentions to her and Rei. She only gets off one more blast before Oda grabs her wrist and with phenomenal strength twists her arm and jerks her watch off. Through the crowd of people, she sees Kananno laying on his back, unmoving and battered.)
Oda: (Holding Rei by her hair and Koemi with her arm twisted up behind her back) Get the cell ready. We'll have to wait till the next Six-twelve before we can sacrifice them. All three. Get him (pointing to Kananno's motionless body) and throw them in the cell!
(Three of the disciples grab Rei and Koemi. Looking over her shoulder, she sees three more lift Kananno's unconscious body up and carry him off after them.
The cell is a little room, about 13 X 8, and made of total concrete. The two girls are roughly ushered inside, and after a brisk pat-down for weapons, the guards leave just as the others come in behind them. Kananno is awake now, and stripped of his robe, belt, shirt with the sewn in comlink (He's wearing a wife beater), gun, and knife. He almost trips forward as the guard shoves him in, then shuts the door.)
Rei: Kan, you ok?
Kananno: (He's a black eye, and a bruise left cheek bone, split lip and seems sore) Yeah. Fine. You?
Rei: I'm ok.
Koemi: How do we get out of here?
Rei: Look for some kind of window, grate, anything we can slip into and escape!
Koemi: This is one giant cement block. There's only the door we came in from.
Rei: Damn. Is their a guard outside?
Koemi: (After peering out the door window) Leaning right against the door in a chair.
Rei: Damn!
Kananno: (Gingerly probing his neck) I wish my damn HDU hadn't exploded.
Koemi: Me too. Although I don't know how we would have gotten Rei other wise.
Kananno: It wouldn't have worked out this bad…
Rei: You've still got your Com-watch on. Call Gonjen! Get reinforcements down here!
Kananno: No can do, babe. The frequencies can't get through, we're under nine feet of cement from the roads… Damn! If I only had my HDU.
Koemi: Why?
Kananno: I could have hooked up the Watch batteries with the hydrogen fluid in the unit and made a pretty nasty bomb. Blown the door down totally. It was the unstibility of the hydrogen fluid that made it pop on me before! Imagine that nasty blast with power behind it! Blow the whole damn wall down!
(Koemi fishes in her pockets and comes up with her chip)
Koemi: (showing off her chip) Here, a gift from me to you!
 

To Be Continued