A/N: As promised, the revised version is finally here. Ch.2 will come next week. I truly do apologize. I've been awfully busy this week. Slowly but steadily this story will progress. I'm thinking Sunday for posting days. Anyways, enjoy.
Tadashi was taking a shortcut, zipping down the alley behind the San Fransokyo's main street when his net whistled from deep in the pocket of his blazer, followed by a monotonous automated voice that he swore he would alter when time permitted, "Message received for Hamada Tadashi san redirected from the San Fransokyo Criminal Apprehension Department. Accept or deny?"
His own apprehension mounting, Tadashi swerved just in time to avoid grounding the side of his motorcycle into the back of a woman's boutique. Jamming down hard on the brakes, he killed the engine and fished the now silent net screen from the pocket of his cargo shorts. White blue light pooled into the twilight hours, skimming over the controls of his bike and catching on the contours of his angular face.
Finally.
After half a year of night watch, half a year of near sleepless nights, they'd found something.
They'd found him.
San Fransokyo would be one thief, one gang freer.
"Hamada Tadashi san," his net repeated, "Accept or –"
"Accept!" Tadashi near-shouted excitedly, nearly strangling the net in his hands.
He expected to be greeted with a vidlink, or at least access to the classified files concerning Royal, but all he got was a slow strolling of militaristic text.
27 AUG 179 T.E.
RE: CASE #SFCAD2846669013, FILED ON 2 MARCH 179 F.E.
THIS COMMUNICATION IS TO INFORM COMMISSIONER NAKAYAMA SHI OF SAN FRANSOKYO, JAPAN, EASTERN COMMONWEALTH, THAT AS OF 18:43 ON 27 AUG 179 T.E. THE CASE OF THE POKER-PLAY GANG LEADER ROYAL HAS BEEN TRANSFERRED TO THE PRAETORIANS. WE CONSIDER THE JOB TOO ADVANCED FOR IMMORTAL SEVEN'S TALENTS AND SUGGEST PLACING UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF THE PRAETORIANS FOR THE TIME BEING.
WE THANK THE HONORABLE COMMISSIONER NAKAYAMA SHI FOR USE OF OUR SERVICES.
The comm was followed by a video ad everyone had seen ten hundred thousand times and counting, reminding all hovercraft pilots to make sure their harnesses were secure before take off. A cheery robot waggled his metal-framed finger at the viewer, "Buckle up every time!"
Tadashi stared at words until they began to blur black, white, gray under his sudden swell of rage. Tiny fissures snaked into the screen from where his fingers crunched into the thin plastic.
"Unbelievable." The words TOO ADVANCED chuckled back at him.
Tadashi spun off his bike, stalking down the alley and resisting the urge to hurl his already damaged net at an overflowing dumpster.
Taken off case? Case too advanced? Placed under the leadership of the Praetorians?!
"Come on!" Tadashi growled, shoving his net back into his pocket to save it from being completely mutilated and he was swindled out of three hundred units to get it fixed. Instead, he snatched his cap from his head, balling it in his fist while running the other over his cropped black hair.
"Unbelievable." He repeated incredulously, shoving his hat back on and rubbing his tired eyes. He slumped against the dense August humidity. All their work and nothing. They'd gotten more work done on the Royal case in six months than the police had gotten in six years. Six! The only reason his team was being taken off case was because unlike the other superhero teams of San Fransokyo –the Night Watch, Praetorians, Ascendants, Sailor Sensei, and the Liberators – they didn't have real powers. Never mind that their tech was unmatched primarily thanks to his little brother Hiro, who had woven each team member's talents into their uniforms and weapons.
But no one care because none of them had been born with a mutation.
A little quirk in their genetics.
They were second-class heroes and everyone new it.
Catching the smothering odors of grease and rotten vegetables from a nearby fast-food joints as he drew in deep breaths, he tried to rationalize himself out of his bubbling over anger.
He'd go to the department head – no – Inferno, leader of the Immortal Seven, would pay a little visit to the Criminal Apprehension Department, preferably with Anti-Gravity and Silver Samurai for backup. He'd convince them they were capable. That they were just as good as the Praetorians. They'd give back the case. He'd make sure of it.
"Incoming call for Hamada Tadashi san from Robinson Darien san. Accept or deny?"
Evidently his friends had heard the news and as he switched the net connection to the device in his ear, he made a mental note to have Hiro fiddle with his net. After so many years of calling him by his nickname, it was startling to hear his best friend called by his real one.
"Accept."
"Tadashi, we have to –" Wasabi started nervously.
Turning the corner and striding purposely down the sidewalk, looking every part the successful college student, Tadashi replied.
"Wait, I'm going to prove I'm psychic and guess the reason you're calling."
"Tadashi…"
"Wait. I'm getting something."
"Tadashi."
"What?" He swiveled to avoid a crowd of girls he faintly recognized as SFI students.
"Dude, this isn't something you can joke about."
"I don't see why not. Someone had to lighten up the situation – oh, hey Saffy."
"S'up Tadashi." A girl with wild mane of curly brown hair – he thought she might be a graphic design major, but wasn't completely sure– tossed him a friendly wave before turning back to her friends.
"Tadashi? Are you still there?"
"Yeah, I'm here. How's the gang taking it?"
"Surprisingly well… But um…" Darien hesitated. Nothing new. He tended to overthink, overthink some more, and overthink on the side just to jazz things up for a change. Tadashi rolled his eyes, side-stepping to avoid a flailing hand belonging to a rather expressive middle-aged man.
"What?"
"Hiro and Gogo want to take a vote on whether or not we should become vigilantes."
"Nothing new."
"Yeah, but we've never been blown off this bad before. They're pretty serious."
"They'll never actually do it. They don't have the resources and once they cool down a bit they'll see reason. Don't worry about it. I'll talk to them." Tadashi assured him. "Anything else I should know?"
"Well, Fred's pretty upset, but I think that has more to do with finally accepting we're called Immortal Seven instead of Fred's Angels. I mean granted he'd been working on that song for months but – hold up, Gogo's about to throw something –"
From the background Tadashi heard someone shouting out murder threats over a not-so-catchy team song while another cajoled calmly.
"Six intrepid friends lead by Fred, their leader, Fred. Fred's Angels, m-m-m."
"Let's not jump to conclusions guys. We don't know they've taken us off the case, right?"
"Fred's Angels, m-m-m. Harnessing the power of the sun with the ancient amulet they found in the attic. M-m-m–"
"Listen nitwit, if I have to listen to you sing that stupid song one more time –"
"Hold on Tadashi," Wasabi said miserably, before yelling off line, "Gogo, do not touch my tools! There's a place for everything – No!"
Tadashi winced at Wasabi's horrified yelp, rubbing his ear painfully before jogging across the street to a tiny coffee shop. He drew in the sharp aroma, half-listening to the battle waging across line.
"THE AMULET IS GREEN! M-M-M. IT'S PROBABLY AN EMERALD!"
"Don't throw my screwdriver! Honey take my net! Take it!"
Falsely cheery, another voice piped into the line that nevertheless brought a grin to Tadashi's face.
"Hello?"
"Honey? Everything okay over there?" A small android chimed as Tadashi ducked into the blessedly cool shop, flying over and hovering mid-air in front of him. Scanning the shop, he was thankful to find it mostly empty aside from a bored-looking guy around his age slumped over his net screen at the counter.
"Tadashi, do you think you could get to SFI in the hour?" Honey asked as sweetly as her nickname implied. "We have to talk to Callahan and Abigail. I think if we present the case properly to C.A.D. they'll put us back on. I've been doing some research into–"
"Welcome to Latte Haven. How may I be of service this evening?" The android chirped.
"Sorry Honey, I'm stopping for a coffee. I can be over in forty-five." Tadashi spared a glance at the droid and covered the transmitter on his net. "Hang on a moment." He told it. Its lights flickered as if irritated though he doubted its programming allowed for that particular emotion.
"Okay. Sounds good." There was a loud crash and muffled cursing from her side of the line. "And Tadashi?" Honey sounded like she was biting her lip. "Please hurry."
"Always do." A soft tone ended the call and Tadashi gave the droid his full attention. Its body was glossy white, the shape of an upside down pear, and its crude design consisted of a basic scanner, optic, motion, and auditory sensors.
"How may I be of service this evening?" Likely its voice was previously recorded too. Not very creative, but serviceable enough.
"Double espresso, one sugar." The android floated over to the man behind the counter, chiming again. He jumped, glanced up, shot it an annoyed glance as his gaze shifted to Tadashi, seemingly surprised there was a new customer in the shop. Heaving a sigh he slide to his feet and lumbered over to the coffee machine.
"Tink, go to the back and grab me more cups." He grunted and the android complied, its engine humming weakly as it puttered out of the main shop.
Tadashi slipped into one of the tall stools lining the counter, avoiding coffee stains, pulling out his net and calculating the fastest course to SFI, his mind whirling a mile a minute. He settled his chin on his palm as the barista punched his order into the dispenser. Technically it was Inferno Seven's night off from night watch, but he was more than a little tempted to go out later. The rest of the team would be eager as well. They'd have to be careful though. Commissioner Nakayama had long ago set up a rotating system that made sure no team tired out and the city was amply protected. His was a strict system and considered it an infraction if any hero was caught doing work off hours unless specifically specified. Today was Sunday so… Tadashi's jaw clenched and he grit his teeth. Sliding his finger across his net's keypad, he typed,
THE PRAETORIANS
8,958, 284 media hits.
As the barista finished his order he scrolled through fan clubs and whole websites devoted to Midnight Centurion, the team's handsome, charismatic leader. The sight of the cocky hero's smoldering grin was just enough to make his blood broil.
Complete zombies of the mayor and his department heads, the Praetorians were Immortal Seven's bitter rivals, who worked significantly more independently from San Fransokyo's governing bodies. While the freedoms entailed were a definite plus, independent teams were widely frowned upon, being as the fell just a couple steps away from the dreaded vigilante label. While Tadashi had never met a vigilante, he'd heard rumors about one in the European Union. No one knew anything about him or her aside from the fact that they were especially good at making the worst of villains disappear for good. All methods of termination went. He shuddered.
"You're a Praetorians fan?" Tadashi glanced up and avoided rolling his eyes when the man – Jason according to his nametag– after setting down his espresso, craned his neck to glance at his net. If by fan Jason meant he'd be somewhat concerned if they were very badly injured in a fight…maybe, then sure, he was a fan.
"Yeah," he lied, "I guess you could say that." Jason grinned giddily, looking not unlike Fred when the comic-junkie went off on a tangent.
"Cool man, they're the best. I mean Midnight Centurion's powers are so cool and Stella-Luna's a total babe."
"Uh huh," Tadashi avoided responding by taking a sip of his espresso. The taste suddenly seemed too strong, too sharp.
Sure, the Praetorians were good. Their abilities were…formidable. But Immortal Seven's tech was just as powerful. And while Honey would deny it and Gogo would throttle anyone who dared called them babes, Baymax had been known to report increased heart rate on Hiro's part whenever Honey walked by and he knew for a fact Wasabi had a crush on Gogo the size of the entire Eastern Commonwealth, strange as it may be.
"I heard they're making a special appearance in the Tenno No Tanjobi Festival this December. It'd be so awesome just to be in the same room as them, you know? See them in person?" Grabbing a dripping rag, Jason began swiping the stained countertop.
"Pretty cool." Tadashi agreed reluctantly, wishing not for the first time his team was the one being recognized in Emperor Daigo's annual birthday festival. Blocking out Jason's worshipful rant, his eyes wandering to the evening shadows outside the shop. Crowds of people meandered the brightly lit streets, typical for a Sunday evening.
"I'm so pumped to see Stella though –"
A flash of white suddenly caught his attention. Tadashi's brown eyes widened and his mouth parted slightly as a delicately framed woman paused in front of the coffee shop. She lingered uncertainly, glancing over her shoulder and the few glimpses he got of full pink lips and feathery black lashes and crystal blue eyes left his drink and mission utterly forgotten.
If he had to guess, he'd say she was from the E.U. One of the former Scandinavian countries, maybe. His mind ran through the possibilities before a surge in his testosterone levels decided that he didn't really care.
Because she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in all his twenty-one years of existence.
Her hair was so pale a blonde that it shone silver in the street lights. Illuminating the complicated braids coiled into a bun at the nape of her lithe neck. She stood for a moment on tiptoe, as if looking for someone, her movements fidgety and anxious. One gloved hand grasped the lacy collar of her dark plum blouse while the other skimmed the glass underneath the A of HAVEN. Somewhere in the back of his mind he found it strange that someone would be wearing gloves and long sleeves in the sweltering heat of August, but testosterone convinced him once again that didn't really matter. Tadashi couldn't – nor did he want to – stop his gaze from trailing downward. Past a teal skirt that ended just above her knees and exposed the curve of two some slender calves before disappearing into fitted black boots. The few inches of smooth, snow-white skin teased him, making him want to –
Abruptly, Tadashi tore his eyes away, a fiery flush blazing hot in his cheeks and traveling down his neck.
What's wrong with you, idiot? He chastised himself. Ogling some random woman's legs? Aunt Cass's taught you better than that! Besides you have bigger problems than that.
And yet he couldn't resist one last peek. One more couldn't hurt –
Tadashi blinked.
Blinked again.
The woman was gone. Vanished like the thin strands of steam rolling up from his espresso. His brows slanted in confusion. How did she…? Surely he hadn't imagined her, right?
Right…
Whatever the case he had more important things to deal with. Namely, making sure Immortal Seven didn't have to suffer the Praetorians smug smirks when they found out they had babysitting duties… again, and Royal was caught and apprehended. They'd prove once and for all that the Immortal Seven's were a real team that could handle real villains.
Draining his cup and pushing up from the stool, Tadashi held out his wrist as he tugged up his sleeve. "How much do I owe you?"
Jason squinted at him with mild annoyance and Tadashi realized he must have cut off his rambling about…something. The other man glanced down at his net, scrolled, and said. "7 units."
"Seriously? That's up 2 units from last week."
"Hey man, I'm just the messenger." The barista unhooked his scanner from his belt and swiped it over Tadashi's wrist. A green light blinked, confirming the successful connection to the ID chip implanted there. "They keep telling me inflation's bad."
Well, that's the understatement of the century.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Sorry, didn't mean to offend." Tadashi replied lightly. "Thanks for the coffee man." He turned to go. At the door, letting it hang ajar so that the November wind yanked at his pant legs, he added, "Hey, uh, good luck with Stella-Luna."
Jason grinned dreamily, shaking his head. "It's not going to happen anytime soon, but hey, a guy can always dream?"
"Yeah." Tadashi said thoughtfully, almost to himself, thinking of the silver haired girl. "I guess you're right."
With night fast approaching, but the temperate still ticking ever so steadily upward, Tadashi jogged all the way to his motorcycle. Dodging window shoppers and the like, he kept looking back, searching for the girl, and finding absolutely nothing.
Zero.
Zilch.
Maybe she really was a ghost. Some phantom spirit woman from First Era legends.
Get over it. He ordered himself the third time he almost plowed into an innocent speed walker and apologized profusely. It wasn't until he'd mounted his motorcycle and brought the engine roaring to life that he allowed himself to imagine. Rolling forward, he let himself ride faster and faster until he was barreling through alleyways.
Get. Over. It. So what if you imagined her? She's way out of your league anyway.
Expect one part of him had to disagree. He was a hero after all. Technically he should be able to have any girl he wanted. And he wasn't oblivious to the way girls stared at him at SFI. Granted Gogo had been the one to point it out in a fit of frustration, but since then he'd noticed.
You're never going to see her again.
Shut up voice.
He swerved unto the freeway that led downtown to the college, jerking his visor down has hot wind pummeled his face slick with sweat.
Come on. Focus on the mission. We need a different angle and everyone's counting one you.
This could be their big break. He couldn't let one phantom girl blow it.
But for some stupid reason, Tadashi couldn't seem to keep the vision of moonlight skin and big doe eyes from searing into his mind.