Secret Military Research and Development Facility – Year 20XX
"The tests are complete, sir." A scientist handed her clipboard over to a military general officer.
He flipped the pages and skimmed the data. "Looks good to me. Wrap it up, we've got another mission. I think we'll be able to mass-produce it soon."
"But sir, it still needs to be fully debugged. We need to make sure that any errors don't get compounded when copying the AI." The scientist was doubtful of its readiness.
"Blah blah blah, you brain-types and your belly-aching." The general was not moved. "Every day that we don't have a cold, emotionless machine of death on our side is another day that the enemy wins. Now get on with it!"
"Right away, sir." The scientist got on the intercom. They were in a remote facility and stood on one side of armored glass. "Okay KillBot 9000, the test is over. Great job as always."
KillBot 9000 lowered his rotating arm-cannons. "ACKNOWLEDGED. DISARM MODE ENGAGED." His resounding metallic voice was heard clearly in all situations. His biped body rotated at the hip like a turret and came to rest with a diminishing hiss.
This facility was like home to him. He was born here, and when he expressed his feelings, people didn't scream. Well, most of the time. He learned that feelings are meant to be shared only with inanimate objects in designated areas, or when on an important errand for the kind people who took care of him. He would be yelled at otherwise. He didn't like being yelled at, it made him scared and uncomfortable.
Still, he was getting bored. It was the same old routine day after day. He had been at it for a few years now. It was fun at first, seeing new places and meeting new people. Usually hundreds at a time, but they would go to sleep soon afterward and nothing he said would wake them up. After a while, nobody wanted to talk to him anymore. It was a little lonely. Being just a prototype, he had nobody else to laugh or cry with. At 15 feet tall and 2 tons, he wondered if he was getting too fat. They must have been repulsed by his slovenly body.
That settled it. He had to move on and become independent eventually, he wouldn't be young forever. You had to be bold to be beautiful, so he spread his wings and flew. "ROCKET THRUSTERS ON. SETTING TRAJECTORY: 66.493 DEGREES NORTH-EAST." He flew for his freedom and for his youth. He had to find others like him and live the dream.
On the ground, the scientists and military officers witnessed the great escape. The general demanded his capture. "You incompetent fools, don't let that hunk of hardware leave the facility! Why are you all standing around? Get it back this instant and fix that bug, or you're fired!"
The scientist with the clipboard saw her creation soar majestically away. "Oh, you know how teenagers are, General. I guess he's just at that age..." She was proud of him and hoped that he would be happy in his new life. Countless innocent people could get horribly murdered as a result but, you know, youth and junk. Also, some of those people probably deserve it.
"LANDMASS DETECTED. DISTANCE: 20 KILOMETERS. ETA: 7 MINUTES 34 SECONDS."
It was a few hours before KillBot spotted land at last. He wasn't made for flying, but his thrusters took him over the ocean at break-neck speed. Sometime before, a curious shark leaped at him from the water. He found this creature to be fascinating and hugged it. But it fell asleep into several pieces. It was a fond memory for him. He didn't mind staying at low altitude.
Being so close to the shore, he discovered some fishing boats trying their luck in the deeper waters. He thought this would be a great time to introduce himself and ask for directions. He approached one of the boats. "IDENTIFY OR BE DESTROYED." He cheerfully pointed his arm-cannons at them. They rotated with gleeful excitement, whirring happily.
The fishermen spoke a language not yet known to him. His built-in translator identified it as Japanese. He repeated his command in the proper language.
"Oh, is that all you wanted?" One of the fishermen responded. "We're not the most hustlin' and bustlin' place, but there's a school not too far from the beach. Why don't ya try there?"
"SCANNING... TARGET ACQUIRED. COMMENCING TACTICAL APPROACH." KillBot flew off to the precise location of the nearest high school.
As he was leaving, one of the fishermen woke up and groggily stepped out of the covered lean-to. "I heard ya talkin'. Someone get lost or somethin'?"
Another fisherman replied. "Yeah, a real nice foreigner on a student exchange program. Bit of an accent but nothin' bad. Energetic fella, too. My son could learn a thing or two from him!"
The fishermen all laughed and resumed their tiring but rewarding work.
On land, Killbot located the high school in question. His scan revealed a nameplate on the wall that read 'Oblivious High'. He hovered over to the front gate, the massive thrusting force causing debris and skirts to flutter about. "ROCKET THRUSTERS OFF. ANALYZING AREA." He landed with a mighty smash, cratering the concrete beneath.
After looking around a bit, he discovered several kids of appropriate High School age milling about. Of note, a group of young females were congregated around a male in front of the entrance. "VIP LOCATED." He walked forward, shaking the earth with every step. Other students were chatting and whispering. He felt self-conscious. He thought that making friends sooner rather than later was optimal. He stopped in front of the group and waited for them to notice him. He just couldn't help being shy.
However, something seemed familiar about this popular boy with short, flowing blonde hair. He took a closer look with his scanners. "ANALYZING DNA... MATCH FOUND. IDENTICAL TO MARINE VESSEL 22.357 KILOMETERS SOUTH-WEST." He accidentally blurted out something he shouldn't have.
The girls surrounding the boy recoiled. "What?! Your dad's a fisherman?!" One of them yelled incredulously.
"You lied to us! You said you were rich!" Another felt betrayed.
The boy tried to re-assure them. "W-wait! It's not true! Who you gonna believe, me or some fat new kid?"
Just then, a small, black-haired girl with twin braids and glasses raised her hand. "U-Um, it's really true... Kon-chan comes from a f-fishing family... we g-grew up together." She lowered her head. Though she didn't look it, she was 16 years old and this was the start of her first year in high school.
The girls scattered in no time, entering the school and leaving the three of them behind. Kon groaned. "Mikoto, why?! I was finally becoming popular with the chicks! This was my fresh start and you ruined it!"
"I-I'm sorry Kon-chan. I just..." Mikoto couldn't tell him that she was a little jealous. She was his childhood friend, after all.
Kon couldn't stay mad at her. "Christ, you always do this." He scratched his head then looked at the large mech. "It's your fault, fatty. You shoulda kept your mouth shut!" He shook his fist at him.
"THREAT DETECTED." KillBot's automated defense activated and he was about to wipe him off the face of the earth.
"No!" Mikoto got in between them. "Don't fight! Kon-chan, you know better." She turned to the big robot. "I don't know what your name is, but fighting is bad, okay? Let's get along." She smiled sweetly.
"THREAT SUPPRESSED. STANDING DOWN." KillBot realized that he hadn't introduced himself to his new friends. He was so happy to talk to someone without them sleeping and he overlooked this common courtesy.
Suddenly, the bell rang. Mikoto gasped. "Oh no! We're going to be late. Hurry, let's get to the classroom!"
"Fine." Kon looked at KillBot again. "This ain't over yet, you hear me? Don't act like we're friends 'cause we're not." He turned around and ran after Mikoto.
Still elated, KillBot stomped inside and followed the two. Once inside, though, he caught the attention of the gym teacher.
"What the hell?!" Mr. Higuchi ran over. "You're not on the first-year roster. And look what you did to the building! No unauthorized persons on school grounds, period! Get your ass outta here!" He raised his shinai aggressively.
KillBot's sensors detected the bamboo sword. "DEADLY FORCE AUTHORIZED." He spun up his arm cannons and prepared to fire. Nothing came out. He had used up all his ammo back at the facility and forgot to re-arm.
"Easy there, tiger. You say the Principal herself authorized you? The hell she did, let's solve this right now. Come with me." Mr. Higuchi led him to the Principal's office.
"Come iiiin~" The Principal let them inside.
Mr. Higuchi entered. KillBot followed, breaking down the door and parts of the wall.
"Ugh..." Mr. Higuchi rubbed his forehead. "Principal, he did the same thing to the front doors and he's cracking the tiles just by stepping on them! This is clearly beyond our capabilities. Not only that, he's nowhere to be found on the student list. These are definitely the two most odd things about him!"
The Principal frowned. "Mr. Higuchi, this innocent boy has no hands, how is he supposed to open any doors~? We are not the Japan we used to be. We must show foreigners that we are tolerant and open. We will not deny him entry into this school based on his disability or his weight. In fact, as you are the gym instructor, how about you help him shed off some of those pounds~?"
"Y-You're kidding..." Mr. Higuchi was dumbfounded. "So you're officially admitting him as a student? I can't believe this!"
KillBot's arm cannons continued to spin wildly. "AMMUNITION EXPENDED. SWITCHING TO MISSILES." His chest plates opened up to reveal primed rockets with shaped-charge warheads, ready to be fired.
The Principal chuckled. "Just look at how eager he is! Why, I haven't seen such a dedicated learning spirit in a long time. Let's put him in 1-B, shall we? I'll give Ms. Nakamura a call right now~"
Mr. Higuchi sighed. "Okay, you win." He knew he couldn't argue with her once she made up her mind. "Move it, kid. Class started 20 minutes ago."
"SURRENDER ACCEPTED. STANDING DOWN." KillBot's defense system recognized victory and went dormant for the time being. He stomped his way down to 1-B. Having scanned the school's complete layout, he pin-pointed the classroom easily.
He found the door and stood outside. He was nervous but excited to meet his classmates. He hoped that Kon and Mikoto were in the same class. The school only had about 200 students, and about 70 of those were first years so there were only 3 classrooms. "CHANCE OF VIP PROXIMITY: 33.333%". It was now or never. "COMMENCING INFILTRATION." He broke through the sliding door and much of the frame.
"Oh my!" Ms. Nakamura was surprised. "You must be the exchange student the Principal told me about. Come up here and introduce yourself to the class."
KillBot stood front and center. The floor shook and some supplies fell off their respective desks. "SELF-IDENTIFICATION: KILLBOT 9000, MILITARY PROTOTYPE XM772."
There was whispering and gossiping between both the girls and the boys. They had already heard about him standing up to the gym teacher and how he approached Kon before he became uncool again.
Then, one of them raised a hand. "So, like, is 9000 his surname or something? That's how foreigners do it, right?"
Another asked a different question. "You grew up on a military base? My cousin's overseas right now with his parents. Where's base 772?"
A noisy but earnest girl stood up. "Oh my god, your skin is so shiny! You have to tell me your secret!"
The classroom was buzzing now and the teacher had to reign it all in. "All right class, let's not make our new student uncomfortable. We've also got lessons to complete today." She turned to KillBot. "We Japanese are not great with foreign last names so I hope you don't mind if we just call you Kill-san. The places have already been assigned but I think there's an empty one in the back row next to one of the window seats."
KillBot scanned the classroom and found the seat. Lucky for him, it was right in between Mikoto and Kon! "ACKNOWLEDGED. TWO VIP ENTITIES LOCATED." Fortune had smiled on him today indeed. He walked over to his seat, each step landing between the columns of desks while the rest were passed over harmlessly between his legs. He arrived at his desk and rotated his upper body to face the board. His leg joints whirred and he settled into a squatting position, demolishing the desk and chair. "INFILTRATION COMPLETE."
Kon was by the window and he didn't like that KillBot was sat between him and Mikoto. "You comfy over there? Don't get used to it. That seat is gonna be mine soon enough." He crossed his arms and slumped in his chair.
Mikoto was smiling brightly. "I'm so glad we're all in the same class, Kill-san! By the way, Ms. Nakamura said that you didn't have any hands." She looked sad. "I'm so sorry to hear that, but don't worry, I'll take notes for both of us! Just like I did for Kon-chan all this time."
"What?! But... but..." Kon was the jealous one now. "You don't gotta do that! Watch this." He took out a rubber band and used it to tie a pencil to one of the arm-cannons. "Ta-da!"
Mikoto frowned. "Kon-chan! Don't you know that's very rude? You big dummy!"
"Hey, I was just trying to help. See? He likes it." Kon pointed.
"UPGRADE RECEIVED. COMBAT CAPABILITY IMPROVED BY 0.047%." KillBot couldn't be happier. It was his first gift. He would treasure it forever.
Just then, Ms. Nakamura called up a few students to solve a problem on the board. "Let's see... How about you three in the back? Kon, Mikoto, and Kill-san please come up and give us the answer to this equation."
Mikoto gasped. "I was so busy helping Kill-san that I forgot to pay attention!"
Kon got shifty-eyed. "Uh, yeah, me too, that's the reason, yep."
"ACKNOWLEDGED." KillBot stood up and stomped to the front without hesitation. His boldness inspired his friends and they followed suit.
"Here you go, Kill-san." Ms. Nakamura stuffed a piece of chalk into the rubber band around his arm-cannon.
He rotated the pencil out of the way and brought forth the chalk. With mechanical precision and computer speed, he solved the problem so fast that Mikoto and Kon were able to copy his answer before his large body stopped concealing them. They returned to their desks. KillBot prayed that he got it right. It would be so embarrassing if he got his first question wrong.
"Wow, that's correct!" Ms. Nakamura's evaluation came as a relief. "Very impressive, all of you. Especially you, Kill-san. There's a bright future in academics ahead for you, that much is certain." The bell rang again. "Oh dear! Well, class, looks like that's it for now. P.E. is next and then lunch, so make sure you work up a good hunger. See you tomorrow!"
"Yes, my favorite class of the day! I'm gonna slack off like it's my job!" Kon was clearly looking forward to lazying around some more.
Mikoto scolded him. "I wish you'd try harder, Kon-chan. Even though P.E. isn't my strong suit, I do my best regardless."
"TRANSFERRING LOCATION." KillBot followed them to the lockers. Of course, they had to change out for the class. He was worried that he was too fat to fit into the gym clothes.
Mikoto went ahead to the girls' locker room. "W-well, I guess I'll see you in the gym." She entered.
KillBot attempted to follow. He broke down the doorway in the process.
"KYAAAAAA!" The girls screamed and yelled at him. "I don't care how it works where you're from, get out!"
KillBot became flustered and stomped out of the locker room. He had made a grave mistake. That was obviously a restricted area.
The boys were standing in the hall and were nodding their heads in approval. They all admired his bravery.
"You know, man, you're all right." Kon began to respect him more. "Not a lot of folks would have the guts to do that, even though we all dream of it. Come on, I'll help you get fitted."
Fortunately, the Principal had prepared a large enough pair of gym clothes to fit snugly over his robotic frame. "UPGRADE RECEIVED. ARMOR PROTECTION INCREASED BY 0.047%"
When everyone was outside, Mr. Higuchi blew his whistle. "Listen up, wimps! We're gonna do this and we're gonna do this right! For now, I want you to run laps as a warm-up. Then, we play some basketball. Get to it!"
The students all grumbled. Running was arduous and boring. Even so, they obeyed and began to run around the track.
What they didn't know is that KillBot had a special mode for flat terrain. "DEPLOY MODE ENGAGED." His arm-cannons folded down and tucked neatly into his sides. His head sensor unit entered his main body and his legs bent into themselves, turning his knee joints into wheels. The clothes fit more loosely now and he was significantly faster. He blazed 10 laps in under 5 minutes. "TRAINING CIRCUIT COMPLETE."
Everyone was tired after their run, but they were really surprised at KillBot's excellent performance. He even beat Tanigawa who was an all-around star athlete since grade school. Little did he know, this would be the beginning of a rivalry that would go too far.
Even Mr. Higuchi was impressed. "Mighty good job, kid. I've never seen anyone go that fast or lose weight just as quickly. You're half the size you were before!"
"Not bad, KB." Kon gave him a thumbs up.
Mikoto smiled. "You did really well!"
Tanigawa wanted to move things along. His thin face and bowl-cut hair fit his venomous personality. "Ahem. I believe we were supposed to play basketball next? But I'm not sure that Kill-san plays it in his country. Please allow me to show him personally with a 1-on-1 to start things off." His face twisted into an evil expression.
"I suppose that makes sense. Very well." Mr. Higuchi agreed and threw him the ball.
"That jerkface Tanigawa, what's he tryin' to pull?" Kon wrapped his arm around as much of KillBot's body as he could and gave him the rundown. "All right, here's how basketball works. You see that round ball over there? You need to take that and put it in that basket at the end of the court. There's more to it, but if you can do that, you can show him what for!"
"MISSION RECEIVED." KillBot rolled onto the court. He wasn't sure what the purpose of this mission was, but he never asked questions. He always did as he was told and was praised for his good work.
"Hehehe." Tanigawa was waiting for the signal to unleash. "You're going down, tubbs!"
Mr. Higuchi blew the whistle, starting the match.
Immediately, Tanigawa dashed to the side and charged forward to the opposing basket in a cheap and dastardly move. "Smell ya later, nerd!"
"PACKAGE ACQUIRED." KillBot was powered by military hardware. He had the ball without even moving from the center circle. Seeing the basket ahead of him, he knew that this was his chance. "OPTIMAL TRAJECTORY ATTAINED. IMPACT THRUSTERS ON." His rocket thruster pods acted like jump jets and launched him at the backboard, destroying the entire stand and cratering the wood floor. "PACKAGE DELIVERED. MISSION COMPLETE."
The entire crowd in the bleachers roared and cheered.
Kon slapped him on the backplate. "I knew you could do it! That was awesome, man!"
"Yay!" Mikoto clapped. "You were so cool, Kill-san!"
Mr. Higuchi picked his jaw up from the floor and congratulated him. "Kid, that was the finest dunk in the history of basketball. You worked hard to lose the weight you needed and you even did it with no hands. I... I'm incredibly moved." His eyes began to well up. "You are an inspiration to us all!"
At the other end of the court, one person was not happy. Tanigawa bit his shirt and fumed. "I'll get you for this, KillBot. Mark my words, your end is nigh!" He disappeared into the shadows.
At lunch, people couldn't stop talking about the newest sensation that was KillBot. Everyone was asking to sit down with him and learn more about him. It was a dream come true. He wasn't shy anymore and was settling comfortably into his life as a celebrity. He didn't forget about his true friends, though. "SCANNING FOR VIP ENTITIES."
Kon finally pushed through the crowd. "Hey watch it, move it, I'm comin' through here! KillBot, come on. Let's head to someplace that ain't so filled with your admirers."
They went up to the rooftop. KillBot used his impact thrusters to jump up the stairs.
Mikoto was already waiting. "There you are!"
Kon was huffing and puffing. "Yeah, about time. I thought we'd never escape that gaggle of groupies."
"Do you want some of my bento? I only made enough for me and Kon, I'm sorry. I didn't know I would meet such a good friend on my first day of high school." Mikoto offered some of her lunch.
"NUCLEAR REACTOR FUNCTIONING. POWER NOMINAL." Still in deploy mode, KillBot found it easier to maneuver. His experimental energy source was nearly limitless. He enjoyed the quiet surroundings and the cool breeze. One of life's simplest pleasures is having a good meal with friends.
"Guess you're on a diet now, eh? Keep it up and you'll have Mikoto falling for you, haha!" Kon playfully hit him on the shoulder. The metal clanked and reverberated solidly.
"Oh, stop." Mikoto giggled and blushed a little. "Although he is quite handsome, don't you think?"
"Yeah, yeah." Kon rubbed his nose. "Hey, listen KB. I gotta talk to you about something in private. You got time?"
"SATELLITE TIME IS CURRENTLY 13:00 HOURS." KillBot followed him to the far end of the roof.
"So..." Kon leaned on the fence. "I've been thinking. Mikoto and I have been friends for a long time. Maybe too long. I'm just not right for her, it seems." He looked at KillBot. "But you, seems like you two have a connection. Look, all I'm saying is that you better take care of her. Don't make her cry, or else, ya hear me?"
"ALL VIP ENTITIES MUST SURVIVE." KillBot didn't want to get between them. He thought that Kon was the right person for Mikoto but that he was just too blind to see it. He was sure that if Kon would only ask, she would definitely say yes.
"I get what you're trying to say, but don't worry about me, honest. It's the way it has to be." Kon looked dejected despite his words. "Anyway, you should be worrying about yourself instead. That Tanigawa is known for causing trouble. You'd better watch out for him, he's bound to try something."
"BRIEFING ACKNOWLEDGED. TARGET DATA RECEIVED." KillBot was scared. He just wanted to be friends with everybody. In retrospect, he thought that it was expected for some not to accept him. He was used to rejection, but that doesn't mean it didn't hurt. He was glad he had someone like Kon to watch his back.
"What were you two talking about?" Mikoto asked as they returned.
"CLASSIFIED INFORMATION. PLEASE STATE AUTHORIZATION CODE." KillBot had learned that some secrets were okay to keep between friends, at least for the time being. It wasn't a sign of betrayal but rather a sign of caring, an attempt to preserve the happiness of all.
"What he said." Kon sat down. "Gimme some of those octopus wieners, I'm starving."
When lunch ended, Mikoto and Kon went ahead to put their lunch boxes in their lockers. KillBot was making his way down to the classroom when he was intercepted.
It was Tanigawa and his motley crew of wanna-be thugs. "Where do you think you're going, dillbot? I got a bone to pick with you! Meet me at the back of the gym building and let's settle this!"
"DEPLOYING TO BATTLEFIELD." KillBot remembered Mikoto's words. Fighting was bad, and he didn't want to fight. But he was afraid they would do something to her or Kon if he didn't. He had no choice. Outside behind the gym, he got ready. "COMBAT MODE ENGAGED." He returned to his original form, once again towering over the stooges.
Tanigawa and his puny punks slammed their fists together. "Hehe, this is gonna be legendary. Ready for a beat-down, chump?"
"THREAT LEVEL: NON-EXISTENT." In his first ever diss, KillBot enticed his opponents into a furious rage. If he couldn't fight, then he could at least take the hits and hope for the best.
Tanigawa charged and the group followed suit. "Get this fool!" They hit him with their fists and swung with branches and pipes. Within seconds, they were on the floor, whining and licking their wounds. "Ow, ow, ow! Do you work out? That hurts!"
"ENEMIES ROUTED. PROCEEDING TO DESIGNATED TESTING AREA." KillBot's impenetrable titanium alloy armor could withstand a direct hit from a 120mm AP tank shell. His feelings were hurt, but his body was unscathed. He returned to deploy mode, going back to the classroom and completing the rest of his school day normally.
The final bell rang and the students were free to go. Kon caught up with him. "Haha, I heard you sent Tanigawa and his goons packing! Way to go!"
Mikoto was walking beside him. "Oh no, is that true? Kill-san, I said no fighting, remember?" She pouted.
"RESISTANCE IS FUTILE." KillBot felt mixed emotions. He was sad that Mikoto was disappointed with him, but he was glad that he stopped a small problem from getting bigger. But there was no time for that, because an even bigger problem was headed straight for the school.
The emergency alert system rang out. "Attention. This is an emergency alert. A large meteor is headed straight for Japan. It appears that it will land in an inconsequential fishing town, but the effects could take down the entire grid. Citizens are urged to take cover. For those in the impact area, may God look kindly upon you in the afterlife."
After a few moments of silence, the panic began. Everyone was running around, wondering what to do, how they would live, and if they could even escape in time. It was mass chaos and things only went from bad to worse.
Kon grabbed Mikoto by the hand. "This is bad! We can't stay here, come on! I'll call my dad and have him pick us up by the shore. If we're far enough out at sea, we might survive!"
Mikoto was in tears. "But Kon, what about all these poor people? Can't we save them all? Why does this have to happen?!" Even in a dire situation, she thought of others first.
"SCANNING... METEOR LOCATED. DIAMETER: 700 METERS. COLLISION ETA: 95 SECONDS." KillBot weighed his options. He could grab Kon and Mikoto and take them to safety. That would be the quickest option, but everyone else would die. He had a decision to make.
"Kill-san... what are you doing?" Mikoto looked at him in fright.
"KB, don't do it..." Kon knew what he was thinking.
"MULTIPLE VIP ENTITIES DETECTED." KillBot made his choice. He would use his reactor core to destroy the meteor. No other weapon was powerful enough. "ROCKET THRUSTERS ON." He wasn't made for flying, but today, here and now, the sky was the limit.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Mikoto chased after him, tears streaming down her face.
Kon grabbed her. "It's too late! It's just too late!" He looked up. "Damn you, KB! I told you not to make her cry..." He bowed his head.
KillBot raced toward the meteor, his final hour at hand. "IMPACT IN 20 SECONDS. 15 SECONDS. 10 SECONDS. 5 SECONDS." He wasn't afraid anymore. For the first time since his birth, he made his own choices. Somewhere, there was a scientist who would be proud that he chose good over evil. "ALL VIP ENTITIES MUST SURVIVE."
The explosion witnessed from the ground was tremendous. The force was like a flash hurricane, blowing through in a terrible gust. The light was blinding and couldn't be looked at directly. The sound left many temporarily deaf. It was as spectacular as it was horrible, but when the dust finally settled, the school was still standing and Japan was safe.
The next day, the Prime Minister learned of the deeds of one student of Oblivious High who saved them all. It was a day of mourning and of celebration, of tragedy and heroism. A statue was erected in the middle of Tokyo in honor of this student, henceforth known as KillBot 9001. The military took no credit for his creation, preferring their true experiments to be kept under wraps.
As for Kon and Mikoto, well...
"Welcome back, honey." Mikoto kissed Kon as he came back from work. "Are you hungry? I've made dinner."
Kon removed his gear. "I'm fine, dear. It feels so good to take this blasted thing off. How're the kids?"
"Kenta is at the table playing with his rice and Bachiko is sleeping in her crib." Mikoto went to the kitchen to bring out another portion.
"Today's the day, huh? When we first met him and when he saved our lives." Kon was remembering a time a few years past but so vivid it felt like yesterday.
"You know, I say it every year." Mikoto urged him to sit down and eat. "But I feel like somewhere out there, he's still making people smile."
"Yeah." Kon was solemn in his memories. "I bet he is."
The next morning, Kon headed for the coast early like he always did. There, a very familiar fishing boat with very familiar fishermen awaited his arrival. "Another day, another minnow, as they say."
"That's the spirit, m'boy!" His dad was happy to finally have his son on board. "I'm feeling good today, son. Real good. It's just a feeling, but a fisherman knows his gut."
They went off into deeper water like every morning. But something was different.
"Oy, boss, we got a big one!" Three fishermen struggled to lift the net, even with a motorized pulley assisting them.
Kon went out to help. "Heave-ho! Put yer backs into it! I got a wife and two kids to feed!" At last, they finally lifted the thing, nearly tipping the boat over in the process.
One of the fishermen peeked inside the net. "Uh... Boss... Kon... this ain't no fish. You gotta see this!"
Kon released the net. What he saw was covered in coral and grime, but it was unmistakable. "I'll be damned..."
It whirred to life, protected from the sea by tight-sealed titanium. "SYSTEMS ONLINE. SCANNING... VIP DETECTED."
Kon put an arm on his shoulder. "Welcome back, KB."