Codename: Kids Next Door

Operation: E.N.C.O.U.N.T.E.R

E nignamatic

N ew

C adet

O ffered

U nreal

N ew

T echnical

E ngineering

R ole

By Syncronis

Hoyo, boys and girls! This is your author here… Figured I'd get my kicks and lollies in this time around, eh? I havn't written anything in ages, and I figured it was about time I got my kicks back in with a fanfiction. There's a lot of music involved with the making of this fanfiction, and inspiration from all sorts of places! Of course, I don't own most of it, which is cool with me. Don't look like that, I'm not greedy, its more than enough they let me write stuff like this without suing me, right? Now then…

In our last chapter, we learned alittle bit about our hero Syncro Armani. We also got our first look at Auroran, the mysterious female combatant who gave Syncro a run for his money… Or did he give her a run for her own…? Let's take a closer look and see where things are going, eh? ON WITH THE SHOW!!

Act 2: Nighttime Challenge

It had taken Syncro an hour in order for him to get all of the gum off of his face, scrubbing with the industrial soap he kept for job cleanups multiple times in order to relieve himself of both the feel and smell. By the time he was ready to once again face the world, more people had shown up to his shop, either as friends or customers. A set of girls had taken residence in the waiting room, distracting themselves with copies of month-old Archie comics, magazines and gossip about cute dresses. In front of the shop, a group of boys had taken to making their own 'nest' besides the garage opening, either sitting in chairs taken from their houses or sitting in the pavement.

The time wasted from his earlier experience was quickly made up as he had taken to the automobile from before, finding the problem with ease and patching up the problem without causing anymore major circumstances to arise. Pulling out of the car's guts, Sync straightened himself out, clapping his palms together; his face bunched up in a way that seemed to say 'Glad that's finally out of the way!' Closing the hood, he pulled out his cleaning rag from its pocket and wiped the remaining cheese away, walking towards the group of boys in the front of the shop.

"… and the hippo goes 'That's not a root beer, that's my wife!' the blond-haired boy of the group finished his joke, sending the other three into fits of furious laughter. Syncro simply shook his head and sighed, stuffing the rag back into place and leaning back against the corner of the warehouse opening. "Man Sync, you gotta stop working so hard, you just missed the joke of the year, I swear!" The boy reached up from his seat to slap the mechanic on his back.

Syncro winced as the boy's hand came down sharp and hard, leaving a painful sting along his vertebrae. He gave back a weird smirk however, as the boy's own face contorted at the realization that he had gotten some of the mechanic's cheese-grease on his own hands. "I'll have plenty of time to laugh when I'm finished with this work and riding along on my baby." He retorted, casting a quick glance at the motorcycle that rested at the far end of the workshop.

Another one of the boys scoffed, brown eyebrows shifting to give a look of disbelief. "Yeah, this so-called 'Land Chaser' of yours …" He spoke the last two words with testament to his age, shaking his hands alongside his head. "You've been working on that thing for like, eleventy-billion days… You're NEVER gonna get that thing to work!" Sync frowned at the boy, pointing his index finger out.

"First off, it's only been two months since I started putting all those junk parts together…" He sighed, walking away from the group towards the motorcycle. "You think you can do a better job than me, you're more than welcome to take my wrench and do this for me!" Taking a glance back, Sync took satisfaction in the frown that had adorned the child's face. "Besides, I saw a few things today that can get it running today, if I work fast enough." He knelt down beside the bike, reaching inside to fiddle around with certain parts within.

"Oh yeah, that reminds me about earlier…" The third boy chose this time to speak, having been distracting himself with a copy of LINCOLN: Civil War Zone. "You guys have been hearing about the rumor going round, right? About this hot girl wandering around the city?" Syncro's head snapped back towards the group, his attention now fully diverted from the original task. "Apparently this really cute girl's been seen wandering around town, challenging boys to fights and disappearing once she beats the stuffing out of them…" The boy shook his head and stuck his nose back into his comic book. "I almost want to meet her, but then I don't wanna fight a girl." The other boys nodded, but Syncro frowned, his face contorting in a way that showed he was fighting a thought.

"Yo Synchs, you alright over there?" The first boy called out, noticing his face. "You look like you had a bad taco or something, yaknow?"

Snapping back to reality, he shook his head, clearing out the thoughts that overtaxed him. "Yeah… Sure, I'm fine… Just got something on the brain, that's all…" He muttered, turning his attention back towards his vehicle.

The weather had taken a turn for the worse as the day pressed onward, the streets of Empire City becoming glossed over with a fine coat of rain as the sun finally started to set. Most of the pedestrians had already taken to umbrellas and raincoats, while the lesser-fortunate used whatever was on hand in order to shield their heads from the oncoming shower. Thunder clapping overhead covered the sounds of punches and kicks being administered on a young boy in one of the many alleyways of the city. As the boy finally fell to the ground in unconsciousness, the assailant looked down upon him with distaste and boredom, her hair matted down with the weight of rainwater. Sighing, Auroran ran a hand through her hair before absentmindedly flicking raindrops from off her fingertips. She walked out from the alley, ignoring the downpour as she worked her way through the crowds of people. Stopping in front of a red Pitsnake SRT, she pulled out a set of keys, deactivating the car's alarm and opening the door. As Auroran pulled the passenger door open, she pulled out her cell phone, hitting the speed dial while sliding across the covered seats.

"Kids Next Door Arctic Training Base" The phone blasted out, its voice seeming as if it had one too many sodas. "This is Numbah 964 of Recruitment Department Alpha responding." Auroran sighed, placing the phone in place on top of the car's dashboard. The radio embedded flipped over to show a monitor with a young boy's serious face, his gaze refusing to wane at the sight of the soaked female. "Oh, it's just you, Numbah 404…"

"It's Auroran, thank you…" she sighed, pulling a brush from the glove compartment and fixing her hair. "You know full-well I don't like the Numbah system the KND uses, Greg." She raised her voice at his name, enjoying the cringe he made when spoken.

"And yet, we still use it…" said Numbah 964. "Because of those who wish to remain anonymous, who don't want their names to be revealed over…" His speech was cut short as the visual ended, the sounds of her hair being brushed being heard over the speakers. "Numbah 404… Numbah 404, what is the MEANING of this!?" His face turned red as the sounds of soggy clothing being peeled off overtook his ears.

"I so need to change my clothes after being out in that storm for so long, and I don't need some boy watch me while I change." Her voice had a haughty tone as she wrapped herself up in one of the few towels she obtained from the backseat, wrapping another one around her hair. "Now then, the real reason I'm calling is to give my report on recruits 53582 to 53599… all failures…" She sighed, paying attention to the moisture on her neck and shoulders.

"Hmm, you've got to stop being so serious with all of the recruits, Numbah 404…" The operative grumbled. "You know that these civilians have no chance against you, the point is to handle them lightly; do you even understand what the word means!?" His voice became raised for a moment before the sounds of rustling papers began to cover Auroran's end of transmission. "And for that matter, what about the report for recruit Numbah 53581? You were supposed to examine him early this morning, and I still don't have the report back yet…"

She sighed, bringing a blue skintight undershirt out and looking it over. "Num… Hmmm, Syncro Armani…" Her eyes closed as she saw the morning's events replay in her mind. "If there were more people like him, there may be more recruits…" She shook her head in an attempt to clear the daydreams away. "I need another day to give you a better answer."

"Negative Numbah 404, you have only one day to work through your list of operatives and you're almost out of time, I can't let you postpone this any further."

"But it's only nine o'clock here, how am I supposed to give you-"

"That's not my problem, Numbah 404. You have until twelve-midnight to give me a response. Artic Base out."

The communication clicked out, leaving Auroran to harrumph to herself as she finished dressing herself. Her head tilted slightly in deep thought; there was almost no way to track him down at this time of night, and there was no other contact in the area that he regularly visited on that day, aside from his regular trips to the Tootsie Pop shop, which had long since closed. Shaking her head, she finished turning the key to the car, revving the engine and pulling out into traffic. Weaving in-between the incompetent adults and inexperienced civilian children, she merged into Main Street in order to make way towards the downtown pool halls and soda bars that children usually hung out in the late vestiges of nighttime.

The oncoming red light was more than welcomed, her machine drifting to a halt while her thoughts went full throttle. She knew being so focused on the boy wasn't proper of her, not normal in the least for her… and yet, when she thought of him, she couldn't help but feel a bond – a strong connection – with the boy. She had only one meeting with him, never knew him until that moment; and yet there was the feeling that the two were meant to dance alongside each other along the battlefield, the partner alongside from then-on-in until the end of their days… or until one or the other died…

She brought a palm to her head, pushing the thoughts to the back of her mind. There was no time for such foolish thoughts… The mere thought of anyone being even close to being a competition to her was absurd to begin with. She glanced to her right; the thought of looking at someone-anyone else- would be enough to distract her from the conflict in her mind. What she saw instead, was the very source of her woes, riding along a custom motorcycle. Auroran's lips couldn't help but twist into a grin, her mind becoming intoxicated with intrigue and adrenaline.

"Hoyo, handsome!"

The sun had finally set on the day for Syncro, the work on all of the cars completed and the children sent home or grown bored with hanging around at the warehouse. His work outfit had grown dirty with black muck, hair in disarray and grime in his fingernails. Ne'er the less, he wore a wide grin with pride, the work on his prized project finally completed. The few moments in which he had examined and explored the woman's vehicle had given him an insight as to the multitude of problems he had within his own automotive. Walking over towards his motorcycle, he pulled a large circular earpiece from a pocket on his jumpsuit, placing it over his left ear as well as a half-helmet from the nearby cart. Stopping overtop the vehicle, he looked it over one last time before starting a test run.

The Land Chaser was a testament to months of engineering and creativity, the body being slightly larger than your standard motorcycle, but with good reasoning as to it as well. The wheels were quite thicker than standard and the midsection underneath sported both ventilation shafts as well as a strange circular disc. Foot supports were stationed further out than any other cycle seen, making it look as if he had stuck large triangles on the lower back-ends of the vehicle, the jet thrusters embedded in the back becoming a feint mirage in the design. Letting his emotions take over, he clicked on the button on his earpiece, a clear-blue visor encompassing his eyes and the back of his head.

Seating himself atop the Chaser, Syncro touched the flat black panel atop the cycle's dashboard, bringing the machine and the visor's diagnostic system to life.

LAND CHASER DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEMS ACTIVATED

VISOR SUPPORT SYSTEM: ONLINE SYSTEM-CHECK 100%

MOTOR SUPPORT SYSTEM: ONLINE

ANTI-GRAVITY SUPPORT SYSTEM: ONLINE & ON-STANDBY

POPCORN ENGINE SUPPORT SYSTEM: ONLINE: FUEL-CELLS RESPONSIVE & READY FOR USE

TAFFY ENGINE SUPPORT SYSTEM: ONLINE & AWAITING CHARGE

BLUETOOTH SUPPORT SYSTEM: ONLINE & AWAITING COMMANDS

GPS NAVIGATION SUPPORT SYSTEM: ONLINE & AWAITING INPUT

R6 NITROUS SUPPORT SYSTEM: ONLINE & AWAITING CHARGE

ULTIMATE R-CHARGE SUPPORT SYSTEM: ONLINE & ON-STANDBY

ALL SYSTEMS PASS FINAL-CHECK

YOU MAY BEGIN RACING.

He nodded to himself, double-tapping the visor's activation button to bring up several racing tools; a speed gauge, GPS system, Bluetooth phone system, and voice-activated Google internet. Popping an orange Tootsie Pop into his mouth, he revved the engines, trembling at the feeling of the popcorn going off from deep within mixing with the tangy addictive taste of sugar and artificial dyes.

"Bluetooth command to Syncronizer, close workshop gates upon exit."

"Acknowledged" A female voice responded back to him, the shop's computer network showing a clear and responsive signal. Nodding to himself, he pushed down on the gas, the Land Chaser shooting out from the bay and into the streets. He didn't even bother to look back, so sure of himself that the shop would in fact follow orders properly. Blasting down the suburban street, he noted the constant rate of speed at 45mph, racing along and weaving in-between cars and obstacles all the same. Ignoring both the rain and the shouts of the angry people, he blazed throughout the suburban area for a short while, exploring the roads and testing the GPS system.

After an hour of racing throughout the quiet area, Syncro decided to give the machine a real test, pulling onto the highway and heading into the city. As he put on a track from his personal playlist, he let his thoughts drift ever-so-slightly to the events beforehand, to the girl who attacked him with such passion and skill. Beautiful and deadly, she was as intoxicating as the Tootsie Pop he was crunching into, the bitter chocolaty taste melting into his mouth just as her presence had into his mind. He didn't quite understand it, but he knew that he would indeed see her again… Their earlier entanglement had left an impression on the both of them…

He shook his head, the headset chirping to notify him on an oncoming signal change up ahead. "It's past nine… There'll be more than enough time to investigate this Auroran character in the morning, since I don't have any jobs lined up yet…" His thoughts strayed for another moment before coming to a stop. He spat out the moist stick, his eyes catching a glimpse of the Pitsnake beside him. It was a nice car, but nothing of interest, until he heard the voice of the one giving him mental turmoil.

"Hoyo, handsome!" Her voice rang out like a crystal bell in a room full of statues. His head snapped back as the window to her car lowered fully. "What's a handsome gent like you doing out so late?"

"You…!" Syncro's hands tightened on the grip, taking a good force of will to keep from accelerating the throttle.

"Did you learn how to show me a fun time while I've been busy?" cooed the vixen, licking her lips. "If not, I've got an idea I'm sure will be up your alley." The engine to her SRT began to accelerate, smoke emitting from the wheels. "I'll be waiting for you at the Empire City Park… If you be a good boy, and meet me before 10PM, I'll give you a reward you'll never forget…" She brought her middle and ring finger to her lips, blowing him a kiss in a way that moreso infuriated him than teased him.

"I'll be there, Auroran!" He screamed, revving his own engine. The coordinates had shown him at least a "You better not be late!" As the light turned green, he blasted down the street, flames exerting from the back jets. As he raced off, Auroran simply watched him; reaching up to the phone that still lay within the video monitor. Pressing down on a single button, the speed dial activated and a red-headed girl came up on screen.

"Hello, Fanny? I've got a situation I think you'll really enjoy…"

End Act 2: Nighttime Challenge


Oh no! It looks like Syncro's going to get the test run of his life! What could be awaiting him at the Empire City Park? And what could it have to do with Numbah 86!? Auroran may be testing him, but anything involving Fanny Fullbright is FAR from good or easy! Will our hero find fate victory at the park, or will Numbah 86 give him the ultimate failing grade? Keep your eyes peeled for Chapter 1; Act 3: Get to the Park; Outrun the Dragon!


Music to play while reading:

Familiar Indoors from Ryuusei no Rockman 1 [Syncronizer Shop]

Midnight Calling by Naked Funk [Auroran's Change]

Spade Magnets Stage from Ryuusei no Rockman 3 [Auroran's Thoughts]

Twinkle Cart from Sonic Adventure [Blast Off, Land Chaser!]

Dilapidated Way from Sonic Adventure [Syncro's Thoughts]

Combination – vs. Mega Scorpio from Rockman X7 [The Second Confrontation!]

Boss Encounter from Ryuusei no Rockman 3 [Blast Off, Syncro Start and the Call to Fanny!]

Reviews are fuel for the soul, yaknow… or not, I'm not greedy.