This is the eighteenth chapter of the Banana Fish manga.
Summary[]
Groups begin to break in or out of the mansion while Ash tries to rescue Eiji.
Plot[]
Successfully freeing everyone from their shackles, Ash begins to lead Max and Ibe out of the chamber when he notices men lying on the floor. When getting a close look at one man, Ash notices that Yut-Lung lied about sedating the guards as they are actually dead.
Running from the room, Ash leads the two to a heavily supplied arsenal. Ash and Max right away begin arming themselves in preparation for their escape. However, before they get the ammo they need, Ash warns the two that it's locked in a case that will trigger an alarm once they open it. With the dead men they passed being the closest ones around at the time, Ash figures it will take about thirty seconds before they see someone coming. With so little time available, Ash gives Max clear instructions on the best way to get out while meeting as little resistance as possible. Max questions why Ash is not going with them. The teen answers that he will go rescue Eiji but has to go alone since it would be too troublesome to have either of the older men following him.
With Max agreeing to call the cops as soon as they are clear, Ash breaks the ammo case and sets off the alarm, alerting everyone inside and outside the mansion. Now fully armed, Ash gives final warnings of what to look out for and provides cover when the first round of guards appear.
At the hotel, Mr. Smiles is the last guest to arrive. Dino takes the chance to introduce Smiles to Arthur. While Smiles comments how young Arthur is, Dino informs the teen that Smiles is the White House Chief of Staff. As the two men settle to discuss possible antidotes and expanding uses for Banana Fish, Arthur stands back. He is surprised that someone from the White House is involved in these matters along with senators and personnel from the army. With such people in power, Arthur wonders what Dino's plans are.
At the mansion, Ash had killed one wave of men when he fires a grenade into the armory and destroys all remaining weapons and ammo. In the chaos following the explosion and Ash taking out more men, some of the guards decide going against catching Ash alive but prepare to call Dino to inform him of what's going on. When Ash ducks into a room, the men fire through the door in an attempt to hit him but are met with backfire when Ash fires a grenade through a hole.
While hiding in the bushes, Alex, Bones, and Kong meet with Sing who suspects that Ash is one who set off the alarm and is taking out some of the guards.
In another area outside, Max and Ibe successfully escaped but heard the explosion. Thinking it was Ash, the two are about to keep moving when a guard finds them. Max promptly takes care of him and they press on though Ibe is shaken at having witnessed an actual gun fight for the first time.
Back inside, the guards have lost track of Ash. Just as they decide to use Eiji as a hostage, they are suddenly met with Ash's gang who right away open fire on the guards. With the gang members out numbering them, the guards attempt to retreat. In a separate hallway, Sing and some of his gang corner a man and ask where Ash and Shorter are. The injured man states that Shorter is dead and Ash was the one who did it. Sing naturally cannot believe this claim as he knows how close the two leaders are. Before the man dies, he tells Sing to question Ash himself.
Sing is questioned on what he plans to do if the man's claim turns out to be true. Sing decides to wait until they learn if this claim is true or not but promises that he will kill Ash if it's true.
After killing more men, Ash calls out for Eiji and his arm is nicked by a bullet from a downed guard that he makes quick work of. Meanwhile, Eiji heard Ash calling to him and tries to get his attention. Ash hears Eiji and quickly locates the room he's locked in. He tells Eiji to duck under the bed as he is going to blast the door down.
Once Ash breaks the door down, Eiji happily runs over to hug him but accidentally bothers his injured arm. Ash tries to wave it off and take a moment to reload and rest. As he bandages a wound, Ash tells Eiji that a third party has distracted the security, but it won't be too long before reinforcements arrive.
When Eiji questions if they will leave Shorter's body behind, Ash lightly snaps at him and urges Eiji to get ready to run. Eiji suddenly asks for a gun to protect himself with but Ash refuses and vows that he will protect Eiji.
At the hotel, Dino is informed of the situation and pardons himself and his party from the meeting. As they leave, Arthur questions what's going on and is told that Ash has escaped.
In a medical lab at the manor, Abraham questions what is going on. A guard informs him that Ash had broken free and Dawson and everyone else need to leave or else risk getting killed. Alexis urges his brother to listen to the guard and that the brain they have is safe for transport.
Upstairs, Ash and Eiji are making their way through hallways when Ash kills a guard. Eiji notices one sneak up behind them and alerts Ash.
Characters[]
- Ash Lynx
- Max Lobo
- Shunichi Ibe
- Sing Soo-Ling
- Yut-Lung
- Mr. Smiles (Debut)
- Dino Golzine
- Frederick Arthur
- Alex
- Bones
- Kong
- Eiji Okumura
- Abraham Dawson
- Alexis Dawson
Trivia[]
- This chapter goes over Volume 6 Chapter 3 of the manga.