Operation: Cirrus
By Zoram Selrof
Chapter 1: Winter Vacations
10:33 AM (Japan Time), Saturday December the 17th, 2205…
"… My soul's burning! Bring it on, twerp!"
"Rock…"
"Heh, heh, heh. So?"
"So what?"
"Did ya go out in a date with Tsukasa~ already?"
"No. He's still in need of crutches to properly walk. His legs ended up pretty badly after having been deprived of proper exercise for over a year and a half. So stop saying nonsense."
"I know what ya fear the most, Subari~!"
"Oh yeah? What's that?"
"That the press uncovers that ya are the writer of "Albert's Adventures", the best-selling non-fiction work of the season!"
"Alright. I'll admit to that one."
"Heh, heh, heh…"
Hoshikawa Subaru, aged 13 and wearing his usual set of clothes including the "Visualizer" was trying to cope with the annoying jokes of War – Rock while trying to solve what looked like homework.
"But for safety's sake I went to visit the publisher with my "Albert" disguise and ID so not even he knows who I really am. I delivered the files on hand using the Hunter – VG registered to "Kazimura Albert" as well so he won't get a clue from there and he can't just ring up the Satella Police and ask for the address because the laws to protect data on minor would come into effect. In short: they can't find me out."
"Heh, heh, heh. Ya could do the spy one day in Misora's drama series, wouldn't that be cool?"
"No. End of the topic."
"So! Are ya gonna date Tsukasa on St. Valentine day~?"
"NO! And shut up already or else you know what's in store for you, War Rock!" Subaru snapped.
"A Jeet Kee Duno combo?"
"No! Boss will store you in the server and you won't come out until you apologize for all your harassing! And I'll handle things on my own with Blood's solo Denpa – Henkan ability, too!" Subaru growled.
"Crap!" War Rock gasped.
"Go joke with Moon Disaster!"
"Well… Might if ya beg."
"Beg? Me? Do ya really think that'll work?" Subaru looked skeptical and annoyed.
"Oh! Look! Paparazzi! There, the window!"
"No way!"
Subaru ran up to the upper section and looked out yet there was no one in sight: he gasped and hit a switch to lower the blinders: he sighed in relief and turned around to see that War – Rock was gone.
"You're not gonna tell me I fell for it." He grimly muttered.
"Next piece on the news: the police have just confirmed that the so-called Alphabet Killer has claimed the last scheduled victim, his 26th insofar. The deceased is a Sharo Nation gentleman aged 48, single, named Zakarof – sama." A voice rang out from the Hunter – VG.
"26th…! The guy did it, in the end…!" Subaru grimly muttered.
He felt a shiver go down his spine…
10:44 AM (Japan Time)…
"… So! Gonta! Kizamaro! I've gathered you two here because there's VERY IMPORTANT stuff to discuss!"
"Eh… And what's that, iinchou?"
"Come on, Gonta – kun. Isn't it obvious?"
"Buro~! Totally!"
"Exactly."
"Ops."
Shirogane Luna, Ushijima Gonta and Saishouin Kizamaro had gathered along with their Wizards Ox, Pedia and Mode: Luna didn't look in a good mood, Gonta didn't seem to catch up on things and Kizamaro adjusted his glasses' frame while smiling.
"Gonta. Homework. Show it to me."
"Huh? Homework? Yeah, yeah."
Gonta took it out of his backpack and Luna began to read it: a twitch soon formed over her right eye and began to grow in size: Kizamaro and Pedia took two steps back while Gonta frowned and didn't seem to realize what was going on.
"Zero." She icily told him.
"Huh? It ain't zero Celsius out there yet, but…"
"… ZERO POINTS, YOU! YOU CHEATED! THESE ARE TSUKASA – KUN'S ANSWERS! YOU TWIT! YOU FATMAN! YOU BRAINLESS IDIOT! YOU COPIED THEM FROM HIS BACKPACK WHILE HE WAS IN THE CLINIC DURING HIS ALLOTED REHABILITATION EXERCISE TIME! AND THAT'S WHY YOU'VE BEEN SAYING YOU HAD "STOMACH ACHES" DURING P E CLASSES…! YOU SNEAK INTO THE CLASSROOM TO DO THIS VILE AND ARROGANT ACT! YOU COULDN'T POSSIBLY SINK ANY LOWER!" She exploded.
"Like I thought." Kizamaro calmly muttered.
Gonta turned white and began to sweat: he looked like he feared Luna would make canned meat of him right there and then.
"GRAH! YOU MISERABLE THIEF! YOU MISERABLE COPYCAT! YOU MISERABLE EXISTANCE! YOU MISERABLE ACCUMULATION OF FATS AND CALORIES! YOU MISERABLE GRUNT! YOU MISERABLE IMITATOR! YOU MISERABLE CHEATER! YOU MISERABLE COWARD! OUT! GET OUTTA THIS ROOM NOW! AND THIS WILL REACH THE HEADMASTER AND YOUR PARENTS! OU~T!" She exploded.
Gonta ran away even though Ox stayed behind and merely shrugged: someone tapped his right shoulder from behind and he turned around to see War Rock grinning at him.
"Buro~! Whaddya want?" Ox demanded.
"Yo! How many Viruses can ya bust in a day?" War Rock asked.
"Huh? What silly question is that?" He frowned.
"60?"
"Buro~! 80! And I brought Cygnus as witness! How's that!" He bragged.
"80? Heh! Then Subari~ and I are gonna beat 100 of 'em and I know one secret spot where there are PLENTY of 'em!" War Rock grinned.
"You two barbarians! Out of my residence!" Luna snapped.
"Sure. Subari~ is gonna date Tsukasa, anyway."
"Buro~! Yeah! See ya!"
"NO WAY~!"
"Ops."
"Trouble.
"Catastrophe."
"NO WAY, NO WAY! IMPOSSIBLE! SUBARU – KUN! WHY, WHY, WHY!"
Kizamaro and the two Wizards sighed while Luna shrieked…
10:54 AM (Japan Time)…
"… Huff… Huff… Another little bit…! Ugh… Another little bit…!"
"Come on, Tsukasa – kun! You can do it!"
"T-thanks, Giro – kun…! Another little bit…! Huff! I did it…! I did it…! I'm improving, right, sensei?"
"Correct. I must say that your rehabilitation is progressing very well and appeals nicely enough."
"T-thank you, sensei…"
Futaba Tsukasa finished a set of rehabilitation exercises and picked two crutches at the end of the circuit to walk over to a chair where a teen guy was waiting.
"Thanks for the cheering, Kiboyama Gino – kun."
"Don't mind it! We're classmates, after all!"
Kiboyama Gino had slightly messy brown hair and bluish eyes.
He sported a brown shirt, jeans and white sneakers plus a discarded brown raincoat which had been left atop his lap.
"I know. I've been moving on forward and not giving it up ever since I returned to Japan about two months ago…"
"… And the police still don't have a clue as to the identity or motives behind the acts of the "Alphabet Murderer" yet no connection has been made with the victims. Their profile has always been 30s~60s, single, foreigners. The killer entered without forcing any windows or doors open and left as easily as they had gotten in. Some CCTV cameras were revealed to have had their logs erased by an unidentified Wizard which could be accomplice to killer or a proxy used by the killer…" A nearby radio reported.
"How creepy, the news about this killer… To think he didn't stop at one or two but actually killed 26 persons for reasons unknown…! Yet it seems to have an incredible dose of cold blood…!" Kiboyama muttered.
"… The names of the victims are, in Alphabetical order, the following: Ames, Bodin, Clayton, Difour, Elston, Farkdey, Grant, Hugli, Illon, Jackson, Kravitch, Lofner, Maccson, Norof, Orulov, Poing, Quantim, Robinson, Touwax, Umow, Vorsof, Xexen, Yardon, and, lastly, Zakarof."
"That's some internationality." Tsukasa muttered.
"Yeah… Makes me think of what happened two months ago when that "Centurion" character tried to kill the Satella Police in the abbey trap, even…!" Kiboyama grimly muttered.
"Yo~! Lovely Duet! Are ya gonna go out in a date tonight as well?" A voice rang out through Gino's Hunter – VG.
"Omega – san: that joke is way too lame by now, sir."
"Totally, sir."
"OMEGA~! I'm boiling my brains and turning them into steam and cutting sleep to try to find "Centurion" and the only profitable thing you can come up with is provoking Kiboyama and Futaba? Are you a twit or what? You moron! Move it!" A voice yelled.
"Roger, shachou~!"
"Sorry for the bother."
"Don't mind it, Vadous – san. We're trying to cope with it, sir." Kiboyama calmly replied.
"We can handle it." Tsukasa added.
"Good. I'll keep an extra eye on the guy and…"
"YO, YO, YO! Moon Ace's live radio program has begun! Today we bring you the "F – S – G" triangle~!" Moon Disaster laughed.
"By all the… Moon Disaster! Shut the trap up!"
"The F – S – G triangle is trending topic, yessir!"
Kiboyama and Tsukasa looked exasperated while Moon Disaster giggled and the man named Vadous fumed…
11:52 AM (Japan Time)…
"… I still dunno why I agreed on it."
"Come on! Ya were missing the thrill!"
Rock Man was fighting some Viruses on the Wave Roads around the Yaeba Resort: the skies were filled with grayish clouds and it menaced to start snowing, even.
"… How many did we beat already?" Rock Man asked.
"91!"
"Jeez. It never ends!"
"Heh, heh, heh. Did ya hear Moon Ace's broadcast about the F – S – G triangle, Subari~?" War Rock joked.
"It wasn't funny and even less Boss' outburst at the guy."
"Heh, heh, heh. Here they come~!"
"Jeez."
A new swarm of Viruses jumped on Rock Man and he drew a Hyper Cannon Battle Card.
"Hyper Cannon!"
The blast and its expansive shockwave blew the pack of 3 Viruses in one blow so Rock Man sighed in relief.
"94! More, more and more~!" War Rock laughed.
"Jeez! Hyper Cannon!"
"97! Another round, Subari~!"
"Hyper Cannon! There!"
"Yessir! 100! We did it! 100 of 'em!"
"Fair enough. Let's go back to Kodama Town." Rock Man turned around and began to walk back.
"Oh! Wait, wait! There, there! Look!"
"There? Oh. The abandoned manor's garden? I saw it back when the Yeti Blizzard stuff, too. It's located west of the weather control system…"
Rock Man looked at the left and spotted a snow-covered garden including a river which seemed to belong to a private manor: the manor itself was in a largely decadent state with the whole second floor burnt out and broken and the paint having faded from the front.
"Let's go, let's go!" War Rock suddenly rallied.
"Go? Where to?" Rock Man asked.
"Jeez! That place surely has a Giant Virus hiding there!" War Rock exclaimed.
"How can you tell?" Rock Man sounded skeptical.
"I can!"
"That's not an answer!"
"Let's go! Full speed ahead!"
"O-oi!"
War Rock forcibly dragged Rock Man's right arm and they dropped into the garden: Rock Man groaned and rubbed his body as he looked around: War Rock had materialized and was digging the snow up.
"Rawr! Come out, Viruses! War Rock – sama's gonna kick your hides!" He challenged.
"Do you really think a Giant Virus can hide under that snow?"
"Yeah! If not, there's a treasure!"
"By all the… Let's get out before someone kicks us out."
"Who is gonna kick out THE Rock Man?"
"Someone who mistakes me for a fancy-dressed thief with a Wizard accomplice, maybe?" Rock Man growled.
"Then in the manor!"
"Wait for me!"
War Rock ran forward and Rock Man followed him: he suddenly tripped with an overgrown tree root and met the snow which cushioned his fall: he rubbed his nose and stood up.
"Mwah, hah, hah, hah! I can smell frozen Viruses!"
"There aren't frozen Viruses…" Rock Man groaned.
"… Heh, heh, heh, heh… Figures. I guess it was a good idea to trail ya, for once… Master said ya would appear here sooner or later but it's no big deal at this stage." A voice rang out.
"Hmmm? This smell… Reeks of Burai's Wizard…" War Rock suddenly turned serious.
"But that ain't Burai. And it ain't Phantom Black, either." Rock Man pointed out.
"Doesn't sound like Apollon Flame or Auriga General, either. And it's definitely not Yeti, Condor or Brachio." Rock Man counted.
"Oi! Will ya stop going over the blacklist and hear me out?" The voice called out.
"Who are you?"
"The Alphabet Murderer!"
"What! So this is your hideout! Why did you kill 26 people?"
"Orders. Unreliable rent-a-grunt types gotta be silenced before someone buys the info from them…"
"So they were spies?"
"Yeah. But now ya can't come out of here. I'd love to slice your neck but Master's saving ya up for his own glory."
"What "Master"? Who are you?"
"Ops. Coming."
"Coming? What's?"
A low rumbling sound rang out as some kind of cylinder with a dome structure atop it emerged from inside a fake frozen forest: a slit in the center opened and two mechanical arms having a radar dish and some kind of hose came out.
"The anti-intruder system!" Rock Man deduced.
"Say "night"."
The hose charged up electricity and shot a purple spheroid at Rock Man: it hit him fully and War Rock felt the effects as well: Rock Man reverted into Subaru and collapsed into the ground while groaning and panting.
"We based it on WAXA's "Copy Canceller"… Heh, heh, heh. But like I said, it's up to the bosses what they do ya. Maybe that head of yours will be useful to 'em. Heh, heh, heh." The voice chuckled.
"C-crap…!" Subaru groaned.
He heard someone walking over the snow and managed to lift his head yet his sight was blurry: he could make out a black undefined figure and two red eyes looking down (literally) at him.
"Night."
THUD!
The figure hit Subaru's head with the hilt of a blood-smeared katana and he was knocked out: the figure then placed it back inside of the sheath and chuckled.
"Hah! Good job, my apprentice! Bring the brat to the old stables and cuff them: I need to discuss this with General – dono." A voice rang out.
"By your will, my Master." The figure bowed.
"Heh, heh, heh… My vengeance shall be completed!"
The "Master" laughed aloud in an evil tone of voice…