New Orleans
// Five minutes ago
Kiko continued to
run through the streets of New Orleans, and the
further she ran - the greater the distance she put
between herself and the closed, cramped space of the
shopping centre at which she worked - the more her
senses seemed to open up.
With the whole world
having gone black around her, and buildings, roads
and rivers marked on a grid of yellow and blue lines,
Kiko could not actually see anything; she
was simply aware of its presence but, as she
concentrated, she found that the various 'dots' she
had identified as people and sources of eternity
energy started to come into focus - and the
large, brightly-glowing source of red kenez
energy near the small speck that she knew was
her ally Sei had just taken on the full, brilliant
shape of a giant, human-shaped robot.
Slowly, it raised
its left hand - and out of each of its fingers shot a
small, rapidly-moving white dot. One dropped straight
to the ground behind Sei; one blew part the
blue-garbed Roboman towards their base of operations
at 'Hey, Pizza!'; another arced around behind the
larger, kenez energy-emitting robot; one
sailed directly over Kiko's head and back the way she
had come; and the last stopped right in front of -
"Ouch!"
Kiko struck the
centre of the robot hard, and the impact was enough
to send her body spinning wildly out to the side of
the road, where she hit a thick concrete wall with
equal force. She felt the bones in her left arm give
way and knew, as she squinted through the pain to
take in the robot and the area surrounding them - the
black, three-dimensional 'map' having faded as the
black, creeping tunnel vision of creeping unconscious
started to appear at the corners of her vision - that
something was definitely broken.
The robot had not
moved, even after its collision with Kiko, and it
remained still as Kiko stared at it. Its shape was
very basic - it looked like nothing more than a
female, silver shop dummy, something Kiko might have
dressed up as part of her job. There were no marks or
scratches or grooves or blemishes anywhere on the
mechanical figure, save for the perfectly symmetrical
features on its face.
Slowly, it turned
its head to peer back at Kiko. Around the robot,
people scattered in all directions - but none, it
seemed, had any interest in helping Kiko, the robot's
obvious target, escape. She allowed her back to slide
along the wall until she was sitting on the ground
with her back against the cold surface.
"I am Denshi
Robo," it said. Despite its obvious
female form, the robot's voice was monotonous and of
a medium-pitch, offering no suggestion of either
masculinity or femininity. "Today, at my hands,
Sato Kiko will die!"
"D-denshi...?"
Kiko stammered. The word was familiar to her but, so
close to being overwhelmed by the pain in her arm,
she could not remember what it meant.
"T-tenshin...?"
The robot shook its
head.
"Hah!" it
laughed. "To think, the doctor considered you a threat!"
"D-doctor?"
Kiko gasped for breath. She tried to breathe slowly;
her natural instinct was to breathe quickly and
shallowly, but she knew she would only
hyperventilate. The robot took a few steps closer.
"P-proctor?"
"Fool,"
the robot scoffed.
"I
guess..." Kiko began to speak again as Denshi
Robo stood directly in front of her, "that means
no cheating!"
Suddenly, Kiko
raised her legs and pressed her feet flat against
Denshi Robo's stomach. She kicked as hard as she
could and, to her surprise, actually managed to knock
the robot several feet back.
Without standing,
she stuck her hands directly out at her sides, then
raised them above her head "Let's
go, Robo!"
As she finished
speaking, everything around her seemed to slow down
and darken. Through her clothes, and through the
yellow fabric of her robosuit, she could see the
circuitry embedded just beneath her skin begin to
glow and pieces of jagged metal pierce near-invisible
pores in her skintight constume. Within seconds, she
was protected by a silver chestplate, gloves and
boots, and the same metal slid over her head to form
a thick helmet.
"How...?"
Denshi Robo asked. As the darkness faded and time
returned to normal, Kiko saw that the robot had
returned to standing still, in the centre of the
street. "A moment ago you could not even
understand what I said!"
"Really? I bet
you thought I'd gone all to pieces - but I've got
news for you!" Kiko shouted. Her arm still hurt,
but she resisted the temptation to cradle it, and
alert Denshi Robo to her vulnerability. "Understanding
is unity! Empathy can bring together even the most
hated enemies! I am Yellow Robo!"
Denshi
Robo stroked its chin.
"The
doctor warned me that you might spout such
nonsense," it said. "In fact, he hoped you
would." It turned slightly to face Kiko
directly. "Now he knows his plan is a
success."
Doctor?
He? Kiko thought. It can't mean -
"Doctor
Nagura?" Kiko asked. "Is this a test?"
"Of
your powers, not your ability to wield them,"
Denshi Robo confirmed. Suddenly, it raised its right
arm and pointed it directly at Kiko's chest. "Denshiju!"
Yellow
sparks which Kiko immediately recognised as jera
energy crackled across Denshi Robo's raised arm,
and as she watched its metal components rapidly
twisted and reformed into something entirely
different. She knew she would have to defend herself.
"Electro
Blaster!" she cried. Blue raido energy crackled
around her right hand and she felt the familiar grip
of her handgun-sized, translucent yellow weapon's
handle take form in her palm.
Quickly,
she raised her weapon and pulled the trigger; a
stream of yellow energy streaked toward Denshi Robo's
right arm.
"Denshikaku!"
Denshi Robo shouted a second before the jera
energy struck. Kiko saw the energy dissipate
against a barrier which she could not see, but which
reflected the colour of the flickering energy.
Denshi
Robo flexed its own arm and a stream of
yellow sparks launched at Kiko in rapid succession.
The Roboman turned and tried to run - and found
herself clutching her arm despite herself.
Denshi
Robo did not give chase. Instead, it took several
steps forward, and placed its left hand against the
surface of a blue sedan. "Denshika!"
Kiko
stopped running and crouched behind another parked
vehicle. Carefully, she looked through its clear
windows to see bright red kenez energy spreading
from Denshi Robo's left hand to cover the blue car.
As she stared in amazement, the kenez energy transformed
the car into a large, rough sphere, complete with
blinking lights...
...
and a countdown timer.
"Come
out, Yellow Robo!" Denshi Robo shouted.
"This is a car bomb. Accept the
inevitability of your death and surrender to me, or
watch as this city is torn apart around you."
Kiko's
heart sank.
What
do I do? I can't fight Denshi Robo, she thought.
It is too strong. If I had time I could
call the others for help, but time's... running...
out! That's it!
Kiko
stood up and stepped out from behind the car. The
Electro Blaster in her right hand slowly faded away
in a pale mist of blue energy.
"Do
it," she said. "Let your bomb explode.
Destroy the city."
Denshi
Robo blinked.
"...
what?"
"You
heard what I said. Destroy the city. I'm not giving
up. Not to you. Not to anyone."
Denshi
Robo smiled.
"I
will crush you, then I will destroy the
city."
With
its left hand, Denshi Robo lifted the massive bomb
off the ground and hurled it, easily, at Kiko. Kiko
stared at the incoming hunk of metal, which was wider
than she was tall. It approached quickly - far more
quickly than she could have expected - but she was
prepared.
She
raised her hands in front of her body as if preparing
to catch the bomb. She narrowed her eyes,
concentrated - and the bomb, and its countdown timer,
stopped.
"What?!"
Denshi Robo shouted angrily. "How did
you...?"
Kiko
fell to her knees and began to breathe heavily. The
effort to freeze the bomb in mid-air had taken almost
all of her energy - not just her jera energy, contained
in the small yellow jera shard concealed
within a pocket in her robosuit - but her own
physical energy.
It...
worked, she thought as exhaustion washed over
her mind as well as her body. I thought, after
the bizarre three-dimensional maps and my own speed
both here and in London, that I might be able to tap
the jera energy directly... but even with my
robosuit, and my Roboman armour... I don't think I
could do that again.
She
glanced down at her body and saw that the metal
components of her armour were fading away,
disappearing back through the tiny openings in her
robosuit.
"Hah!"
Denshi Robo laughed. "You have tried to use more
energy than your robosuit can control. You are
finished, Sato Kiko."
No,
Kiko thought. I can run... get help. Maybe
Sei and Ikku are -
Her
eyelids dropped and she finally, fully realised how
tired she truly was. She dragged herself, unsteadily,
to her feet and turned away from the slowly advancing
Denshi Robo.
Come
on, legs... run!
Kiko
lifted her heavy legs, again and again, and tried to
run. She moved slowly at first but then, as she had
twice before, she began to really move - faster and
faster, faster than any Olympic athlete could hope to
move.
Denshi
Robo smirked.
"That
is fast, but not fast enough," it said
simply. Calmly, it placed its hand against a nearby
telegraph pole. "Denshinki!"
In a
sudden burst of yellow and red energy, Denshi Robo's
mechanical body was transformed. Invisibly, it drew
itself up the pole and along the long, black
telephone wires which ran high above the street,
consciously slowing itself down to keep pace with the
much less quickly moving Kiko.
It
took only a few minutes for Kiko to stop running and
slump to the ground of the deserted street again. On
her knees, she raised her right wrist, the wrist
containing her bulky Alert Bracer, to her mouth.
"I
don't think so," Denshi Robo said. Kiko turned
her head and saw Denshi Robo approaching, determined
but slow, from behind. "You have spent your jera
energy. You are physically exhausted. There is
nowhere left to run."
Kiko
climbed back onto her feet.
"You're
right. And I never should have run."
She reached for the Robo Rifle holstered to the left
of her chest. "I will fight you. I will keep
fighting, until - "
Kiko
did not get the chance to finish her sentence, as
Denshi Robo raised her right hand once again, flexed
its mechanical components, and bombarded Kiko with
crackling yellow energy. Kiko could not move - not
even to blink - but, frozen as she was in time, she
did not need to.
"Doctor,
Sato Kiko has been contained," Denshi Robo said
loudly.
"It
is about time," Doctor Nagura's
voice emerged from a speaker somewhere on Denshi
Robo's body. "Bring her to me."
Sorceress
Miko stared through the hole that had just been torn
in the outside wall of her house by the robot calling
itself Tejina Robo. Nearby, Sato Senshi stared at the
robot and slowly made his way closer to Miko.
"What
are you doing?" Miko asked. "Stay away from
me."
"I'm
getting between you and the robot, and you're
complaining. Of course." Senshi rolled his eyes.
"Who sent you?"
Tejina
Robo smirked, but the smirk turned into a sneer as
its mouth moved from the base of its neck to settle
just above its right knee. "Jin's father."
Senshi
glanced at Miko. The sorceress had not even flinched
when Tejina Robo first appeared, but when it answered
Senshi's question she staggered backwards, further
back into the confines of the house.
Who...?
Senshi wondered. It doesn't matter. I'll ask
Miko when I've taken her in.
He
reached into one of the inside pockets of his long,
black trenchcoat and withdrew a black handgun. He
fired, one shot after another, a sudden burst of
bullets streaking towards Tejina Robo's cocky form -
but none of the shots hit. Tejina Robo's body moved,
twisted, and reformed, dodging every high-impact
blow.
"Miko,
I could use some help, here," Senshi called back
into the house. "Could you send out a Pixie, or something?"
There
was no reply, so Senshi carefully stepped backwards,
into the marginally more secure interior of the
house. He kept firing, again and again, distracting
the robot which had to focus more on bending out of
the way of the man in black's attacks than pressing
its own.
Click-click.
The
gun was out of bullets.
Senshi
scanned the room around him to look for any other
sort of weapon, but in the cluttered, messy room he
could see nothing that might help him - and Tejina
Robo was getting closer.
He
continued to forage for anything he might use to
defend himself, but kept Tejina Robo visible out of
the corner of his eye - he knew the robot had a
weapon of some sort, the weapon which had
blown a hole through Miko's wall, and he had to be
ready for a second attack.
Still,
he could find nothing that would protect him against
the robot - and only a few feet away, Tejina Robo
began to shift its components again and change; in
only a few moments, it had transformed completely
from a robot into a cannon.
Senshi
sighed.
This
is it, he thought.
The
barrel of Tejina Robo's cannon form lengthened, and
Senshi kept moving away until he felt his back
pressed against the wall. There was nowhere else for
him to go, and barely enough room between his chest
and the end of the still-shifting weapon to make any
difference at the point of impact.
Until
that space was filled with a bright, shimmering blue
glow. In an instant, Sorceress Miko's form appeared,
her back pressed tightly the front of Senshi's body.
He tensed as she pushed back against him, and gasped
as with one hand she reached up and touched Senshi's
exposed neck.
What
is she -
It
took only a second for the cannonball to emerge from
Tejina Robo and strike Sorceress Miko's
outward-facing palm, but a moment was all she
sneeded. As soon as her skin felt the cold metal
against it, her body, Senshi's body, and the entire
bulk of the projectile were bathed in blue raido
energy and quickly faded into nothingness.
Almost
instantly, they reappeared backs toward the ground,
and Miko released the cannonball. It struck and
smashed through Tejina Robo's shifting components,
scattering twisted metal in all directions. Then, the
humans also fell. Senshi struck the ground first and
Miko landed with her full weight on his chest and
stomach. She quickly stood and dusted herself off,
took a step away, then fell forward.
"Are...
you okay?" Senshi asked. He had made no effort
to stand.
Miko
nodded. "That took a lot of energy."
"And...
a human... airbag," Senshi tried to laugh.
Miko
turned back to stare at him. Something wasn't right.
"By
the master - !" she gasped.
She
stared at Senshi's stomach and saw, sticking through
it, one of the jagged, shattered pieces of Tejina
Robo. Blood seeped through the opening in his torn
shirt and pooled beneath him, even as the metal
suddenly glowed with red kenez energy and
blue raido energy.
"Tejina
Robo is reforming itself," she said. "I
must get away from here!"
Miko
rummaged through a broken trunk, looking for
something specific. Behind her, the red glow became
even brighter, but she said nothing, and Senshi had
also become silent. Finally, she found what she was
looking for - a small vial of purple liquid - and
turned back to Senshi.
The
metal was gone from his body and Miko saw clearly,
and for the first time, the true severity of his
injuries. Blood continued to pour from his wound, and
while he was conscious, she could tell he would soon
be beyond help. She took a step toward him, but
stumbled forward as something hard struck her back.
Again, she found herself laying across Senshi's body,
and his blood smeared across her cloak.
"Get...
off me," Senshi said. He tensed the muscles in
his chest and stomach to try to push her away.
"I'll hold it off."
Miko
did not move.
"Why?"
she whispered. "Why try to help me? I thought
you wanted to be rid of me."
Senshi
shook his head, but even that was a strain.
"I
want you... captured... contained," he said.
"Not... dead. Now let me - "
Miko
rolled off of Senshi's body and stared at Tejina
Robo. It had not fully put itself back together, and
it stumbled as it approached them.
"I
can't teleport myself to safety," she muttered.
"I have used too much energy already. The strain
would be too great. I would leave myself vulnerable
at my destination, and I cannot risk the safety of
the ansuz vial. I must - "
"Then
teleport us."
"...
what?"
"Teleport...
both of us," Senshi said.
"No!
You will capture me the moment I am weakened!"
Miko argued.
"I
promise... not to take advantage," he said.
"I will protect you. You're my collar,
not... that thing's prey."
Miko
considered her options. Regardless of whether she
teleported just herself or herself and Senshi
away, she would be physically drained, exhausted, and
no match for any foe. Tejina Robo had already found
her once, and for all she knew, it could find her again.
Senshi did not seem to be in any fit state to protect
her, but he had tried, regardless - and if his trying
again delayed Tejina Robo's next attack by even a few
moments, that could be the difference between life
and death.
"Very
well," she said.
She
crouched down and placed one hand on each side of
Senshi's face. For a second, she glanced into his
eyes and saw something; when he looked back at her,
she could tell he saw something other than a simple
criminal he was trying to capture. She meant more
to him, but how much more, and in what
sense, she did not know.
Blue
raido energy rushed from her palms and cover
both her body and that of Senshi and they soon faded
in a cloud of flickering, fading blue mist.
Sei
ducked behind a dumpster in a deserted alleyway and
tapped several buttons on the Alert Bracer strapped
to his right wrist before he began to speak.
"Yellow
Robo? Miss Sato? Are you - "
He
stopped speaking as he noticed a lengthening shadow
enter the alley. His robotic mind was immediately
able to recognise it as belonging to something other
than a human - it was too long, suggesting a figure
too tall, and seemingly-random curves and wave-like
protrustions visible at the edges of its silhouette
suggested an unusual form of dress; or, simply, an
unusual form.
Sei
lowered his arm and stepped out from behind the
dumpster to take a clear look at whatever was casting
the shadow. It was a humanoid robot, approximately
eight feet tall, and its limbs were surrounded by
rotating discs. Emerging from its head where ears
should be were wave-shaped wires, and the robot's
steps were evenly, perfectly measured as it
approached the blue-clad Roboman.
"I
am Sei," Sei introduced himself. "Who are
you? Why are you here?"
The
robot stared at Sei and stopped moving for exactly
three seconds.
"I
am Jigenseisokuka Robo," it
said. "Today, at my hands, Creation-Sei will
die!"
The
robot's voice was monotonous, and each syllable was
enunciated at an even pace. To Sei, the robot seemed
flawless - its movements, its words, all perfectly
calculated to be as even, logical, and efficient as
possible.
"Who
has sent you, Jigenseisokuka Robo?" Sei asked.
"The
one who most wishes to see you destroyed."
Sei
smiled.
"I
have made many enemies. Can you be more
specific?"
"Of
course," the robot replied. "The man who
wishes to destroy you is Nagura Scott."
"Why
would Doctor Nagura wish to see me destroyed? Where
is he?"
"You
are his creation, and you have betrayed him."
Sei
frowned.
"I
was not created by Doctor Nagura. The robosuit I
wear, however, was. Does he mean to see that
destroyed?"
"No.
You are incorrect," Jigenseisokuka Robo said,
"and the time for explanations has surpassed the
acceptable period allowed."
Sei
nodded.
"Very
well," he said. He stuck his hands straight out
at his sides, then raised them above his head. "Let's
go, Robo!"
The
circuitry embedded within his body glowed brilliantly
in the dark alleyway as his henshin began,
and sharp shards of metal pierced the fabric of his
blue robosuit to form silver gloves, boots, a
chestplate and a thick helmet which covered his
entire head. He reached for the Robo Rifle holstered
at the left side of his chest.
"Robo
Rifle: Stick Mode," he said.
The
weapon's trigger retracted into the barrel of the
gun, which extended to become almost one metre long.
Sei swung it around his body, and as its tip struck
the hard surface of the alley walls, sparks sprayed
in all directions.
"I
am incapable of being impressed by any visual
stimuli," Jigenseisokuka Robo told him.
"You have been given reasonable time to
surrender. Combat must commence immediately."
Sei
thrusted with his Robo Rifle, but Jigenseisokuka Robo
easily stepped aside. The long shaft passed within
less than one millimetre of the robot's torso. Sei
tried to swing it out, to close the tiny gap, but
Jigenseisokuka rushed forward, and raced in a circle
around Sei - its quick steps still evenly measured -
keeping the moving shaft several inches away at all
times.
"Now
it is my turn to attack," Jigenseisokuka Robo
said calmly. It wrapped the fingers of its right hand
around Sei's right wrist and squeezed tightly. The
blue Roboman could no longer swing - or even hold
- his Robo Rifle, and it fell to the ground in
front of him.
"Vertex
Shield," he said. Nothing happened. "Ah.
Jigenseisokuka - dimensional regularisation. I
understand. The space-manipulating abilities of raido
energy rely heavily on the infinite properties
required for scattering - "
"I
understand the extent of my form's abilities,"
Jigenseisokuka Robo explained. "I am capable of
avoiding your Robo Rifle weapon indefinitely. You
cannot use raido energy offensively against
me at this stage, and I have no intention of
providing time for you to construct an alternative
plan. Do you surrender?"
"No,"
Sei replied immediately. "I do not rely solely
on science and logic to - "
Without
another word, Jigenseisokuka Robo raised its left
hand and struck Sei across the back of the head. The
blue Roboman fell toward the ground but, his right
hand still firmly grasped by Jigenseisokuka Robo, he
did not quite reach it.
"Doctor,
Creation-Sei has been contained," Jigenseisokuka
Robo said loudly.
"Then
my hypotheses have been proven correct," Nagura's
voice crackled through a speaker concealed on the
robot's body. "Raido energy and
Sei's limited cognition can be regulated through
basic scientific principles. Bring it to me."
Kageki
stepped through the front door of 'Hey, Pizza!' just
in time to see the blue mist that accompanied raido
energy-assisted teleportation begin to fade and
for two forms to come into clear view.
The
first was a man dressed entirely in black who,
despite the balaclava he wore, Kageki recognised
immediately - it was Guardian, the partner of Chojin
Robo, and the two had only two weeks earlier made and
kept a promise to help the Robomen fight a giant
Mochi Robo; and had gone beyond his word in saving
Kageki as the boy fell from the top of the Robomen's
giant robot, Gattai Robo.
The
woman with him was not someone he recognised. She had
brown hair tied behind her head in a ponytail and,
like Guardian, wore a lot of black. But her face was
uncovered, revealing pale skin and blue eyes, and she
carried what Kageki could tell instantly were two
robosuits - one green, and one black.
He
froze while he waited for Guardian and his companion
to fully regain their stability and senses as they
appeared in their new environment, and did not speak
until all of the residual raido energy had
faded away.
"Guardian-san?"
he said.
Guardian
nodded.
"This
is Rose Brachis," he said. "She has some
useful information for your friends."
"Are
you - "
Guardian
stepped away from Brachis and more raido energy began
to surround his body. A second later, he had vanished
completely, and the energy that was left in his wake
faded moments later.
"Hi!"
Kageki offered Doctor Brachis his hand. "I'm
Kageki."
Brachis
ignored him.
"I
need to speak with Sei."
"Sei's
not here!"
The
voice that responded did not belong to Kageki, and he
was as surprised as Doctor Brachis to see Cog walking
standing on one of the silver countertops that had
been removed and placed in the corner of the store.
"You're
alive!" Cog exclaimed. "Where's Doctor
Nagura?"
Brachis
looked from Cog to Kageki and back again.
"Kageki
knows everything!" Cog told her. "We can
trust him!"
Brachis
nodded.
"Doctor
Nagura is launching an attack on the city," she
explained. "If it hasn't started yet - "
"I
haven't been able to contact anyone on their Alert
Bracers!" Cog revealed. "Maybe he's already
- "
"I'll
call Trick-san!" Kageki offered helpfully. He
moved quickly to the corner of the room, picked up a
phone, and began to dial Trick's home telephone
number.
"Doctor
Nagura created two new robosuits," Doctor
Brachis placed the folded fabric on the floor,
"and new Alert Bracers. He designed one of them
for me - I am sure they are meant to be immune to
whatever attack he is planning."
Cog
climbed down from the countertop and rushed over the
mound of fabric and the two small electronic devices
resting on top.
"He
said that the Alert Bracers needed to be connected to
individuals, to prevent just anyone using them,"
Brachis told the tiny robot. "There are two
artificial intelligence chips in there that need to
be installed."
Between
the robosuits, Cog found the small box containing the
two chips, and frowned.
"These
are the same as the chip inside my own body!"
she said. "But I know Doctor Nagura didn't
create me!"
"He
must have got the chips somewhere else!" Kageki
told her. He had finished his phone call and returned
to stand beside Cog. "Trick is on his way... but
why is Doctor Nagura attacking New Orleans?"
Brachis
looked at the ground.
"Jinsei
put an implant inside his head, which changed him
both physically and mentally," she told Kageki.
"He is convinced that the Robomen have betrayed
him, and that Sorceress Miko killed his son."
"His
son?" Kageki frowned. "Nagura... Nagura
Ikku-sama? That's crazy!"
Brachis
nodded.
"Hmmmm!"
Cog mused from within the folded cloth. "If
Doctor Nagura plans to destroy us, I'm not risking
installing these chips in the Alert Bracers! I think
I can unlock them myself if you are willing to test
them!"
"Us?"
Brachis and Kageki replied in unison.
"No!"
Cog replied. "Just Kageki!"
Cog
may have been only two inches tall, but her words
hurt more than a physical blow from a full-sized man.
The implication was obvious - Brachis had both lied
to her and asked her to lie to the Robomen,
and Cog no longer trusted her. She was not prepared
to give her access to a potential weapon.
Kageki
lifted the green robosuit and disappeared through the
plastic doors which led into the tiny back room of
'Hey, Pizza!' while Cog climbed inside one of the two
Alert Bracers. She examined it closely - as far as
she could tell, the Alert Bracer functioned in much
the same way, except for two small pieces of
circuitry running through the slot for the artificial
intelligence chip, which she imagined controlled the
flow of energy through the circuitry embedded beneath
the skin of whoever was wearing the
robosuit.
It
took her only a few moments to redirect the wires,
and by the time she had finished working on the
second Alert Bracer, Kageki had returned wearing the
skintight green outfit.
"I
have modified the Alert Bracer to activate your henshin
in response to a specific command," she
told Kageki.
"What's
the command?" Kageki asked. He picked up the
Alert Bracer and strapped it around his left wrist.
"You
don't need to know," Brachis said. "You
will not be using that robosuit."
"Are
you sure it's okay to close the store in the middle
of the day?" Ikku asked as he and Amy sat down
at one of the dozens of deserted tables in the food
court of the shopping centre. "I know Kiko had
to go, but I could have helped you out if you were
stuck..."
Amy
smiled.
"Kiko
is my employee, not you," she said. "I
understand that Kiko needs to leave on short notice.
She explained that before I hired her. As for closing
early..." She gestured around the food court.
There were no customers, and only one shop was open.
The lights were not even switched on - the area was
illuminated only by the sunlight passing through a
large glass ceiling, divided into equal sections by
wood and metal transoms. "Somehow I don't think
there would be much business today."
Ikku
nodded. "Yeah, with all the crazy things going
on around here lately..." He nodded down at the
two plates of food on the table between them. Fish
and chips - one of his favourite meals. "Thanks
for this, by the way..." He speared a pile of
chips with his fork, stuck them in his mouth, and
began to chew loudly.
"It's
okay." Amy smiled again. "I know how you
guys are strapped for cash at the moment. Although
those big watch-phone things you and Kiko have look
pretty expensive!"
"Oh,
these?" Ikku mumbled through a mouth full of
food. He tapped the Alert Bracer on his right wrist
with the knife he held in his left hand. "It's
not a phone. Or a watch." He swallowed his food
and leaned across the table so that his face was only
a few inches from Amy's. "We're prisoners. They
use these things to monitor our movements."
Amy
laughed loudly, and Ikku grinned before pulling his
face away.
"That
was the worst joke I've ever heard," Amy said.
"You
still laughed." Ikku winked.
Amy
watched as Ikku scoffed down his meal, seemingly
oblivious to the fact that she had not touched her
own. When he was done he leaned back in his seat,
patted his stomach, and burped loudly.
"Sorry..."
he said quietly. "It's been a while since I've
eaten around a girl."
"What
about Kiko?" Amy asked.
Ikku
frowned. He was silent for a moment, lost in
concentration.
"Oh,
right," he said finally.
"So,
Ikku Nagura? That's Japanese, isn't it? You don't
look or sound Japanese."
"It's
actually Nagura Ikku," Ikku explained.
"In Japanese, you put the last name first. And
I'm not. Japanese, I mean. I'm American and my name
is Ian, but I was adopted by a Japanese doctor."
Amy
nodded. "Fascinating."
"So
you own your own store? You're so young. How did you
- "
Ikku
was interrupted as Amy slid her plate across the
table.
"Here.
You still look hungry."
Ikku
smiled and quickly swallowed down the meal. Amy
watched him carefully - she wasn't sure why, but for
some reason she found him unbelievably attractive.
Part of her felt that she should take him in her arms
right then and there, in the deserted food court; but
another part of her, only barely stronger, urged her
to resist the sensation.
"You
sure can eat," she said as Ikku finished the
second plateful.
Ikku
nodded.
"So
what now?"
"What
do you mean?"
"Well,
we've talked, we've eaten - do you want me to walk
you home?"
Amy
laughed.
"You
really don't spend much time around girls..."
She shook her head. "Close your eyes."
Ikku
squeezed his eyes tightly shut, and Amy leaned
forward. She took hold of one of the many straps on
his jacket and pulled him forward, across the table.
She pressed her lips firmly against his cheek then
slid them slowly to the corner of his mouth - but
rather than allow his lips to part, Amy felt Ikku
tighten the muscles around his mouth, and she pulled
away.
"What's
wrong?" she asked. "It was just a
kiss."
Ikku
blushed.
"We're
in the middle of a - "
"...
deserted mall."
"I
just - "
CREEEE-ACK.
"Look
out!"
Ikku
leaped across the table and pushed Amy to the side,
beneath a second table as the transoms dividing and
supporting the glass ceiling began to give way. Metal
and glass began to shatter and fall towards them. He
hunched over Amy's body and used his own back to
support the table above them as more and more debris
landed upon it, making it heavier with every passing
moment.
"Oh
my god!" Amy cried. "What's that?"
The
debris had stopped falling and, his arm and back
muscles straining almost beyond their limits, Ikku
tipped the small table onto its side. Sunlight
streamed in through an enormous hole in the roof, and
the food court was covered in splintered wood,
mangled metal and shattered glass, but Amy was
unhurt.
He
followed her gaze and saw that she was staring at
something on the opposite side of the food court - it
was about Ikku's height and of a similar build, but
dust which still drifted through the air, and the
glare of the sun, made it difficult to see exactly
what it was.
"Amy,
you need to run," Ikku told her. "Just go -
get back to the store, or home, or somewhere. Anywhere
but here."
"But
why?" Amy asked. "I can't just
leave - "
"You
have to," Ikku said. The other figure had
stepped forward and he could see it for what it was -
a robot, with a very basic, almost featureless human
shape, but with broad shoulders and spikes emerging
from its wrists, ankles, shoulders, back and neck.
"Go, now!"
The
robot stopped approaching. Amy did not run; instead,
she scrambled behind Ikku and held on tightly to his
legs.
"I
am Ranma Robo," the robot said.
"Today, at my hands, Nagura Ian will die!"
"You
need to run!" Ikku told Amy again.
"No!"
Amy said. "I'm not leaving you alone."
"What
do you want with me? Who sent you?"
"Your
father, of course," the robot replied. "He
designed me specifically to fight you. Not
that I see any point to that - he owns you, he should
feel free to toss you away."
"He
owns me?" Ikku asked. "What are
you talking about?"
"He
bought you from a human store, did he not?"
"He
adopted me from an orphanage,"
Ikku replied. "There's a difference."
"I
am sure." Ranma Robo's hands were glowing with
red kenez energy and Ikku noticed that
similarly-glowing debris was rising from the ground
and hovering around the robot. "Saihen
Sword! Saihen Shield!"
The
debris began to glow even more brightly, taking on
the form of a thick sword and broad shield which
settled in Ranma Robo's waiting hands.
"Amy...!"
Ikku began.
"No!
Come with me!" Amy argued.
I
don't have time to argue, he thought. He shot
his arms directly out at his sides, then raised them
above his head. "Let's go, Robo!"
Darkness
seemed to close in around him as the circuitry
embedded beneath his skin came to life. It glowed
brightly, brighter in some spots than others, and it
was at those points that thick pieces of metal passed
through his skin and the tiny pores of his red
robosuit to shred his clothes, then reform as silver
boots, gloves, a chestplate and a thick silver
helmet.
"Chaos
Sword!" he shouted. Blue raido energy crackled
around his right hand as the black-hilted, red
translucent-bladed weapon appeared. He gripped it
tightly and shook his legs to push Amy away as the
darkness vanished and time returned to normal.
Ikku
ran forward and waved his Chaos Sword in a single
slash against Ranma Robo's Saihen Shield. The
red-bladed weapon cleaved the beige and silver shield
easily, but Ranma Robo seemed unfazed.
The
robot swung its own sword out and struck the left
side of Ikku's chest, just below the reach of his
chestplate.
"Nngh!"
Ikku cried out in pain. He had felt something move
inside his body, and it hurt - but he was
not sure if it was a broken rib, a punctured organ,
or any one of a number of other potential injuries.
He
staggered forward, but did not fall. He slashed with
his sword again, separating the blade and hilt of
Ranma Robo's Saihen Sword. Again, Ranma Robo did not
seem concerned.
"I've
destroyed your weapons!" Ikku said. "Why
aren't you fighting back?"
Ranma
Robo did not reply, so Ikku rushed forward again, and
with one swing from his Chaos Sword he hacked off the
robot's right arm at the shoulder - and, finally, he
realised why the robot was not bothered by the
assault.
Kenez
energy spilled from the wound and streaked out
in all direction. It smashed through closed
shopfronts, swirled around tables and chairs and
suddenly shrapnel began to fly everywhere; and as
Ikku did his best to dodge flying, size-changing soft
drink bottles, Ranma Robo's arm reformed in a bright
red flash.
"Attack
me all you wish," Ranma Robo said. "I can
use kenez energy to regenerate my body and
systems until you tire and surrender."
"Oh,
yeah?" Ikku asked. "And what if I cut you
in half? There has to be comething in there
controlling you, telling you how to put yourself back
together!"
He
charged forward once again, and with a single thrust
pierced the robot's chest. He sliced upwards with the
blade of his sword, and the upper half of the robot
literally fell apart around the opening he made.
...
but it did not fall. Kenez energy seeped
from the long 'wound', but Ranma Robo simply claipped
its hands together. Its fingers, hands and even
wrists shattered, releasing more kenez energy into
the mix, which pooled near the centre of the its
mechanical body.
"Ranma
Arashi!" it shouted.
The
collected kenez energy burst from what was
left of Ranma Robo's body and struck the sky like a
bolt of lightning. Blood-red clouds appeared in the
sky overhead and rain began to pour down through the
hole in the ceiling even as Ranma Robo once again
reformed its body, which remained sheathed in a cloak
of red energy.
It
waved its rebuilt hands around in wide circles,
manipulating the energy which hovered around it,
sending more and more debris flying through the food
court. Ikku raised his Chaos Sword and did his best
to defend himself, ignoring the soft blows of smaller
items, trying to dodge the larger ones - until he
remembered that Amy was still nearby.
He
hurried to her side just in time to notice another
section of the roof, weakened by the repeated blows
of the objects flying around the food court, began to
sag under the weight of the water collecting on its
surface. The metal and wood creaked and groaned
until, finally, it collapsed inward.
"Amy
- move!" Ikku shouted.
Amy
tried to scramble to safety, but there was no way she
could move in time. Smaller pieces of debris fell
around her, but a large slab of concrete and plaster,
easily three metres wide, was going to crush both Amy
and Ikku.
Damn!
he thought.
Ikku
reached for Amy's arm and pulled her close again. He
raised the Chaos Sword above his head and, as the
concrete fellt against its blade, the sword cleaved
it in half. The two pieces fell to the side, but Ikku
staggered forward again, and the sword faded from his
hand.
"Ikku!"
Amy cried.
Debris
continued to fly around the room; small scraps of
metal and glass tore at Ikku's robosuit, and the
exposed skin underneath but, almost miraculously,
nothing hit Amy. She leaned over Ikku's gasping body
and examined his wounds - they were bright red with
blood, but the blood seemed thick; it only slowly
seeped from the tears and scratches in his skin, and
soon vanished as his robosuit repaired itself and
covered the damage to his body.
The
chaos ended; the shattered walls and ceilings and
furniture fell to the ground, and Ranma Robo stalked
forward again, completely ignoring the rain which
continued to fall in torrents through the ceiling.
"Move
aside, woman," Ranma Robo said.
"No!"
Amy shouted. "You've hurt him! I won't let you
kill him!"
Ranma
Robo poked Ikku's body with one foot, and turned him
onto his back. The silver armour quickly vanished,
and both Amy and Ranma Robo saw the boy's closed eyes
and barely rising chest as he breathed slowly and
deeply - he seemed unconscious.
With
one hand, Ranma Robo pushed Amy aside. She stumbled
backwards and tripped over an overturned chair, but
was soon back on her feet and rushing to Ikku's side.
Before she could reach him, Ranma Robo reached down
and lifted Ikku by his long, damp hair.
"Doctor,
Nagura Ian has - " it began to say.
"Kicked
your butt!" Ikku shouted.
He
pressed his palms flat against Ranma Robo's chest and
concentrated. Red kenez energy flowed from
his palms to cover the robot and it began to vibrate
furiously. The spikes across its body fell away, then
the larger components began to break free of the
bolts and welds that held them in place. As its hands
started to violently tremble, it dropped Ikku and
took a step back.
"Nice
try," it said calmly. "Ranma
Ori!"
Red
bars formed around Ikku's body the moment Ranma Robo
finished speaking. A cage had been formed out of kenez
energy, and Ikku recognised the trap; it was one
he had used himself, weeks earlier, to capture a
pixie over Lake Pontchartrain.
"Doctor,
Nagura Ian has been contained," it said again.
"You were correct. It did not surrender, but
lacks sufficient knowledge of its abilities to escape
a simple kenez construct."
"Excellent,"
Doctor Nagura's voice emerged from a speaker
concealed on Ranma Robo's body. "You have
all been successful, and my plan becomes a reality.
The Robomen are vanquished - or will be, once you
bring this one to me."
Doctor
Nagura? Ikku thought. My father... really was
behind this?
"It
shall be done, Doctor Nagura," Ranma Robo said.
It turned its head to stare at Amy, who had frozen at
the other side of the food court. "Remember what
you saw here today. It is nothing compared to the
fate of everybody else in this city."
"Ikku!"
Amy shouted. "What should I - "
"Go
to 'Hey, Pizza!'" Ikku called back. "Find
my friends. They'll - "
Ikku
never completed his sentence, as raido energy surrounded
his cage and Ranma Robo, and both disappeared as the
shimmering blue energy they left behind was washed
away by the rain which continued to fall from the
dark red clouds above.
NEXT:
The new heroes!
