Layzner Ep. 28: The Saint of Cusco

Military police raid an apartment and open fire on David and Anna as they flee via the fire escape. However, they manage to reach ground level and escape in a truck driven by Eiji. Anna wonders if they were sold out by an Earthling, and while David is sure of that, he notes that an Earthling also warned them about the impending raid. Eiji drives the truck to a new hideout, which is located in an abandoned neighborhood. Anna is pleased to see Matthew and gives him some new books. Matthew tells David that Crys came by to drop off an underground newspaper that details how the followers of Cusco’s holy maiden are coming to New York. Eiji asks who they are, so Anna explains that she’s supposedly an envoy sent by God. Since the rumors started in Cusco, South America, the name stuck. David adds that she preaches non-resistance and that Earthlings and Gradosians should peacefully coexist. Matthew asks who the maiden really is, and when David shows Eiji her picture, Eiji suddenly decides to leave. He wants to see the maiden himself, and David decides to come along. Le Cain meets with Giula and Rohan to discuss the maiden, and Rohan suggests that her group probably wants to meet with Gresco. Le Cain dismisses her philosophy and orders Giula to ensure that the group doesn’t enter New York. Later, the holy maiden and her hooded followers walk through a street where a large crowd has gathered. Their path is blocked by Gradosian hovercraft, and Giula demands that they leave or be shot. Eiji stops David from intervening and says he wants to observe what will happen. The maiden steps forward and removes her hood, revealing that she’s Julia. She continues to walk forward despite Giula’s warnings, but his men won’t open fire. She keeps walking past the catatonic soldiers, so Giula grabs a machine gun and threatens to shoot her, but is unable to. David is shocked, and the crowd starts following Julia.

Le Cain decides to expose the holy maiden and summons the Demon Squad. Soon after, the El-Darr, Dankova, Gashlan and Daljuan arrive on the street, followed by the Zakaal. Le Cain demands to know what Julia wants, and she requests to meet with Gresco, which he refuses. Le Cain intends to prove that she’s just a normal woman, so his SPTs take aim. The Daljuan’s pilot dismounts from his unit and asks Le Cain for permission to kill Julia. Le Cain is amused by the idea of giving a holy maiden over to a demon, and the pilot knocks aside all of Julia’s followers. She recognizes his voice, and he rips her dress off, leaving her naked. Eiji yells at him to stop and grabs a cloth for Julia. He then fights the pilot with his tonfas and knocks off his mask, revealing him to be Gostello. Eiji sees that Gostello is alive, although he’s been turned into a cyborg as a result of his injuries. Eiji addresses Le Cain and requests a one-on-one fight with Gostello. If Gostello wins, Le Cain can do what he wishes to them, but if Eiji wins, he leaves them alone. Eiji mounts Layzner when it arrives and orders Rei to scan the Daljuan for a tactical assessment. Gostello slams into Eiji and accuses him of being naïve. Eiji evades and attacks with his knuckle shot, but Gostello dodges. As they fight in midair, Gostello threatens to break Eiji’s bones. The Daljuan puts strain on Layzner’s joints, but Eiji breaks free and attacks from above, severing part of the Daljuan’s left arm. Gostello then attacks with a lasered buzzsaw, putting Eiji on the defensive. Eiji is hit by the buzzsaw and crashes to the ground, so he disperses a smoke cloud and has Rei transfer energy to the knuckle shot to beat down the Daljuan. Eiji and Gostello dismount, and Le Cain shoots near Gostello’s feet, telling him to stop being an embarrassment. Le Cain and his men then retreat, so Eiji turns his attention to Julia. She tells him that despite what happened in the past, she has something she has to do now and says goodbye. David asks Eiji if he knows her, but Eiji says nothing.