New Orleans
Ikku swallowed
loudly.
"I don't know
what you mean," he told the man behind the
counter. The man, Trick, had just suggested that
Ikku, and his friends Kiko and Sei, had been
responsible for ending the threat posed by the five
hundred foot tall tortoise Shellshock.
They were responsible
- but that was not something they wanted to be public
knowledge.
Trick rolled his
eyes.
"I was standing
right here when I saw you change," Trick told
Ikku. "I don't think anyone else noticed, they
were so busy running away, but I did."
Ikku started to
stand, and Sei followed - but Kiko raised one hand
and motioned for them to sit down. She glanced at the
boy sitting in the corner of the store, starting to
chew on the first slice of the second pizza he had
bought in the five minutes since the trio had entered
five minutes earlier. He seemed completely occupied
by the process of eating, and she didn't think he was
listening to their conversation.
"You've caught
us," she confessed. "What are you going to
do about it?"
"Nothing,"
Trick replied.
The response took
all three heroes by surprise. They had expected to
either be exposed to the Black Battalion or
blackmailed, at the very least. Still, people did not
just oppose the Black Battalion - and, by extension,
the Earth Defence/Leadership Directorate - for no
reason.
"Why aren't you
going to turn us in?" Kiko asked. "Are you
a criminal?"
"Hah!"
Trick laughed. "No. I just don't like the power
the Black Battalion gets to wield. It didn't take a
genius to realise they were here to capture you three
as well as that monster, and considering how hard you
all worked to save us when they failed, especially you
- " he looked at Ikku " - I think you
could use the support."
Ikku grinned.
"Does that mean free pizza?"
"No,"
Trick answered, "and you should count yourself
lucky I'm not making you pay to fix my window."
He pointed at the shattered front window of the
store. The broken shards had been cleaned up and the
hole patched over with wood. "I'm pretty sure I
heard that thing - Shellshock, wasn't it? -
say he came here for you."
Ikku's face turned
bright red.
Kiko frowned.
"What are we
going to do now, guys?" she asked. "We
can't go back to the safehouse now that we know the
Black Battalion are after us and we don't know where
Dr. Nagura could be."
"Science
Island," Sei said simply.
Kiko faced him.
"We can't go to Science Island. That's
where the Black Battalion is based."
Sei shook his head.
"That is not
what I meant. You both know I have been in constant
contact with Science Island since leaving Blizzard
Base Zero. My contact there will not turn us over to
the Black Battalion. They can advise us on a suitable
course of action until we know precisely what is
going on."
Kiko turned to Ikku.
"What do you think?"
Ikku shrugged.
"I
think..." he said slowly. "I think I'm
really hungry." He looked at Trick, who had
walked to the other end of the counter while they
spoke. "Hey, can we get a large one over here?
Cheesy crust, extra sauce... spaghetti and
anchovies?"
Trick nodded as Kiko
and Sei looked at each other, then faced Ikku.
"Anchovies...?"
Sei asked.
"And spaghetti?"
Kiko added.
Ikku ignored them.
"I think we need to let Sei do his thing. He's
taken care of us so far. Let's let him contact his
friend on Science Island, and once we know who's out
to get us and why, we can start looking into the
future."
"I guess that's
that, then," Kiko said.
Then there was
silence. For several minutes, the only sound in the
pizza store was that of Trick's pans and knives
striking the metal bench on which he prepared the
pizzas. No-one spoke, until:
"How have you
enjoyed your first day with Project: Roboman?"
Ikku asked Kiko. He offered her a cheeky wink, and
she couldn't help but laugh. "I bet all those
years at school really helped!"
Kiko punched him in
the arm playfully, then stared solemnly at the
counter in front of her. "Part of me really
wants us to turn ourselves over to the Black
Battalion."
Ikku's eyes widened
in shock.
"What? Why?"
"We haven't
done anything wrong," Kiko said. "We don't
know why the Black Battalion wants to take us in. All
we did was run from the things attacking Blizzard
Base Zero. Maybe - "
"The Black
Battalion attacked Blizzard Base Zero. I saw
them," Ikku interrupted.
"The rifles the
Black Battalion were carrying were designed to
incapacitate us," Sei added. "They
were prepared to capture us using force."
"I know, I
know," Kiko shook her head. "Sei should
contact Science Island... find out where we
stand."
There was more
silence.
Trick opened the
door to his oven and pulled out a large pizza on an
equally large wooden tray. He carried it to his bench
and slid the pizza into a box, then quickly sliced it
into eight pieces.
"One spaghetti
and anchovy p - " he began to say.
"PIIIIIIIIIIZZAAAAAAAA!"
Sei, Ikku, Kiko and
Trick all turned at once to stare at the store's only
other customer. The boy jumped from his seat, ran
across the room and through his arms around Ikku's
chest. He squeezed him as tightly as he could, and
started jumping up and down.
"Spaghetti and
anchovies!" he offered by way of explanation.
"... excuse
me?" Ikku responded.
"Spaghetti and
anchovies is my favourite!" the boy said.
"And curry powder and pineapple. And cheese and
- "
Trick rolled his
eyes. "Meet Kageki, my number one customer. He
even helps out sometimes when we're really
busy."
Kageki released Ikku
and took a deep bow.
"Hi!" he
said loudly. "Pleased to meet you!"
He offered his hand
to Ikku, then Kiko, then Sei... but no-one took it.
Instead, they turned away from him and back to the
counter.
"Trick,"
Sei said. "Do you have a computer I may
use?"
Trick nodded.
"Sure. Kageki, why don't you take Sei out back,
show him where the computer is?"
Kageki grinned and
bowed again. He wrapped his hand around Sei's wrist
and pulled him off his seat. "You will like the
computer!" he said as he led Sei around the
counter. "I helped Trick-san buy it and set it
up and taught him how to use it to..." His voice
trailed off as he and Sei disappeared through a
flapping plastic door.
"He must be fun
to have around," Ikku said as he began to chew
on a slice of pizza. "I can't fault his taste in
pizza, though!"
Kiko and Trick
watched as, in less than two minutes, Ikku finished
the entire pizza. When he was done, he leaned back in
his chair, patted his stomach, and let out a loud
burp.
Trick smiled.
"That will be seven ninety-five."
Ikku reached into
his pockets, and found that they were empty. Then he
remembered: the clothes he was wearing weren't his.
He had no money.
"Ummmm..."
Trick shook his head
and disappeared beneath the counter. He returned a
moment later, holding a red dishcloth, which he held
out for Ikku to take.
"I think an
hour ought to cover it," he said. He turned to
Kiko. "And what would you like to
eat?"
Kiko's blushed.
"Actually, I don't have any money either."
"I know,"
Trick winked. "It's on the house."
Ikku scowled.
Science
Island
"Come in."
Senshi hesitated
before walking into Dr. Brachis' office. As far as he
knew, Dr. Brachis had no reason to see him that day -
she had made it clear she wanted him to focus only on
his usual duties. When another member of the security
team informed him that she wanted to speak with him,
his thoughts immediately went to his attempt the
previous day to search through her computer files.
She knows, he
thought. I'm finished.
He stpped slowly
through the doorway and into the office where, as
usual, Dr. Brachis sat typing at her laptop. She
glanced up at him briefly as he waited at attention,
but did not speak. He watched while she selected
something with her mouse, typed a few lines of text,
and finally turned to look at him.
"Why didn't you
pass on Jenkins' message?"
Senshi knew exactly
what she was talking about. The night before, another
security officer - Brad Jenkins - had come looking
for Dr. Brachis in order to pass on details regarding
the interrogation of survivors from Sorceress Miko's
attack on Blizzard Base Zero. Senshi had deliberately
kept the information to himself.
"I... forgot,"
he lied.
Dr. Brachis shook
her head. "You didn't forget."
Senshi said nothing.
Dr. Brachis sighed.
"Senshi...
you're a good security officer. The best I could hope
for," she told him. "I know that you're
unhappy with my decision not to let you investigate
the incident at Blizzard Base Zero, but I need you to
trust that I have my reasons."
Senshi remained
silent.
"I am going to
overlook this," Dr. Brachis said. "I
already knew about the three missing base operatives.
But you can't - " There was a knock at the door.
"Yes?"
Brad Jenkins walked
into the office and past Senshi. He was carrying a
note, which he handed to Dr. Brachis, then turned and
left the office without saying a word.
"Director
Satoshi wants to see you as soon as possible,"
Dr. Brachis said. "You can go now."
Senshi saluted and
left the room. He walked quickly down the maze-like
corridors of Science Island's security complex
wondering why the director would want to see him.
Director Satoshi Kakeru represented the Japanese
government and was responsible for all operations on
Science Island. Despite the man's importance, Senshi
had seen him only once during his entire time on the
island, and could not help feeling more than a little
nervous as he knocked on the door to Director
Satoshi's office.
"Enter."
Senshi opened the
door and stepped slowly into the office. It was as
bare as it could possibly be - in the centre of the
room was a black desk, with one chair on either side,
and a fluorescent light set into the ceiling directly
above it. There were no windows, no decorations, no
other furnishings.
Director Satoshi sat
at the desk and Senshi examined him as he walked in.
Satoshi was not old by any means, but his skin was
weathered and wrinkled. He had long white hair, which
fell loosely around his face, and he wore a black
suit and white shirt, neither of which seemed to have
been cleaned or ironed recently.
In contrast to his
sloppy grooming, Satoshi's sat with his back straight
and smiled as Senshi walked in, showing bright white,
perfect teeth.
"You must be
Senshi," he said.
"Yes, Director
Satoshi, sir!" Senshi replied.
"Call me
Kakeru, please," Satoshi said. "Take a
seat."
"I'd rather
stand, sir," Senshi responded. It was only the
second time he had seen Director Satoshi,
and possibly the only time he would ever
meet him. He did not want to come across as anything
other than professional.
"Suit yourself.
Do you know why you're here?"
"No, sir."
Satoshi frowned.
"You are here because Dr. Brachis says you are
the best."
Senshi did not know
how to respond, or even if he should, so he simply
waited for Satoshi to continue speaking.
"You are here
because a project of mine is almost ready to be
tested," Satoshi explained. "I have been
developing Operation: Guardian for years and
thanks to some recently acquired help I suspect I
have overcome its last hurdle. I am looking for the
most suitable candidate to become part of the
project."
"Yes,
sir."
"I have looked
over your personnel file," Satoshi continued.
"You seem to have had an ideal life at one
stage. Why would you leave your family to come
here?"
Senshi considered
his words carefully before answering. "My
younger sister and I had a... difference of
opinion. I thought it was best that I
leave."
Satoshi nodded.
"Your work here has been exemplary. You don't
have a single black mark against your name. What is
it you are hoping to achieve on Alpha 7?"
"I am not
aiming for anything in particular, sir," Senshi
responded. "I just want to do my job to the best
of my ability."
Satoshi frowned.
"That's very admirable." He paused for a
moment. "I have just one more question. How far
are you willing to go to protect the secrets of Alpha
7? Would you give your life, if you had to?"
Senshi answered
instantly. "Yes, sir."
"That's all I
need to hear," Satoshi said. "You may
leave."
Senshi saluted and
left the office, closing the door behind him.
New Orleans
Sei quickly examined
the room behind the kitchen at 'Hey, Pizza!'. The
walls were white and one window looked out to the
east, but was covered by a thick black curtain. Two
long desks ran along the western wall; one was bare,
the other held a computer and monitor, and a black
stool was placed before it. Next to the desks was a
tall lamp. In the centre of the room was a small
brown couch. Its fabric was stained and torn. Three
feet in front of the couch was a fifteen inch
television, showing the day's news - specifically,
video highlights of the fight against Shellshock.
"There's the
computer, Sei-san!"
Kageki pointed to
the computer, as if Sei had not already seen it. Sei
nodded slightly and sat on the black stool while
Kageki turned his attention to the television.
Sei began to strike
the computer keyboard rapidly, entering a series of
commands into the console that he had memorised much
earlier, a set of commands that would connect the
computer to the Earth Defence/Leadership Directorate
technology network. Unlike other terminals, which
each carried a unique identifying number, machines
modified using the commands entered by Sei were
unidentifiable and interacted with the rest of the
network by posing as a random number.
'Terminal
X activated.'
Sei did
not react with any emotion when the message appeared
in the centre of the computer screen. The process he
had started was complicated, and showing happiness or
excitement meant an increased probability of making a
mistake. He continued to type and, seconds later, a
black and green command window opened up:
| SECURE
COMMUNICATION :: 0:37am |
TERMINAL X
<-> TERMINAL 14 |
X: Identd code 1499-sei
> Identd
acknowledged. Sei?
X: The monster has been
despatched, but the Black Battalion is
aware of our survival and location.
Please advise as to best course of
action.
> Remain
where you are for now. Damien Sinclair
did not represent the Black Battalion. He
was there only to capture Shellshock.
X: I know this. Have
chosen to keep this information to
myself. Caution will keep the others in
line.
> How are
your power reserves?
X: Have retained enough
for one last jump. Need recharge.
> Return in
one hour. The usual location.
> Have the
others been briefed on the robosuits'
true purpose?
X: No.
> Good. I
don't want to involve them fully if it
can be avoided. Even equipped with the
robosuits, they lack the analytical
precision required to effectively use the
power.
X: Agreed. Any word on Dr.
Nagura?
> None. We
know he has been captured by Sorceress
Miko, but her location remains a mystery.
X: And the other?
> I have
someone making his way inside now. We
should know in a matter of days, then we
can make our move.
X: I hope you are wrong
about him.
> So do I.
If I'm not... we have planned
effectively. You will be ready to act?
|
"Sei-san!
Look at this!"
Sei cut off his
connection to the network before swinging his legs
around to look at Kageki. The boy was pointing at the
television screen, which depicted several police
vehicles parked outside a New Orleans bank. Armed
officers pointed their weapons at the closed door. As
Sei watched, the door burst open - and a woman in a
pink-and-white skintight bodysuit, with silver boots
and gloves, walked out. On each shoulder sat an
almost identical woman, only much smaller; almost
exactly six inches tall.
Sei recognised them
immediately.
Pixies, he
thought. And Sorceress Miko...
NEXT: Secrets!
