By any Other Name
Chapter Four: The cards are placed
Written by: Xalan
Notes: WOW! Chapter four! That's farther than anything else I've written as of the past couple years. I'm pretty thrilled about that. Hnnnn, as for actual notes this time, not much. Worked a little bit with Kenichi past, since I thought it odd no one ever mentioned HIS parents, or that Shunsaku would let him stay behind in Metropolis without asking his parents, so, playing around with some ideas for that. And, sorry about Atlas being so out of character, I'm working on that..... Also, slowly working through the slower parts and things should be getting a little bit more interesting, so just work with me people. Alright then, on to the story!
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Shunsaku Ban grabbed his carry-on bag as the passengers exited the plane, having landed without complications in Metropolis International Airport. The plane ride had been uneventful, which for the most was how he liked his trips in air planes, and he'd managed to get a bit of work done. Not much more information had been uncovered, but, he was sure of his ability to work it out in the end. Now, he had to find the notes of the late Dr. Luaghton, make some copies of the red notebook Kenichi had, and return back to Japan, although, he was considering a side trip to Europe to maybe "visit" the faculties of the O.E.R.A.
Ah, the line was moving forward. He paused a moment to allowed the blue haired girl and her friend, the older woman with her arm in the sling, out in front of him. The girl nodded her thanks quietly, and hosting the two's bags over her small shoulder, stepped into line.
He'd managed to strike up a conversation with the quiet girl during the trip, and had learned that her name was Basil; she'd lived for a while in parts of Europe and Asia, and was here in Metropolis on business with her Doctor. She'd been very frank with her answers, but didn't end up talking that much, aside from the part she was reading up on Metropolis, since she'd heard little of the great city, which apparently had been what she'd been so interested in on her laptop. He hadn't managed to find out what business she was in town for, since she only looked be about 14 or 15, or why her "Doctor" was with her. He found trying to get such details from people as very good practice for later on when he needed such skills in an investigation, and besides, he was a social person, and the girl had been quite polite in answering and making small talk. A very good thing to see in young people now a days.
**************************
Kenichi settled back into the seat. The plane would be taking off soon, and while he felt a bit guilty about not being able to work on Tima for a week, he did feel happy that he was going to be of some use to Atlas, in paying him, and the others, back for all of the help they'd given him. Some of the older, and few, girls who worked with Atlas and Jihad Shov acted very motherly to him, fussing over him and such. It was kind of embarrassing, but nice at the same time. His mother living in the States now left him missing her a lot in the past five years, her having moved there after his father died of the cancer tumor, and Uncle Shunsaku offering to have Kenichi live with him. It'd been very distracting from his father's death to work as his uncle's assistant and fun at the same time, since he'd loved his mother's older brother as a very young child.
Atlas sunk into the seat next to him, smiling. "Well, then, we're all set to go. How'd things go last night packing?"
Kenichi shrugged, "Not too bad, I didn't have that much to pack, just some manuals and stuff." Atlas raised an eyebrow, but said nothing; he'd learned that probing the younger boy about such things got him nowhere. "Hey, Atlas, this.Governor Jihad Shov, is he coming to Belovdor?"
Atlas laid back into the seat, arms behind his heads, eyes looking off into space, "nop, not yet, any ways. He's got things to take care of on this end in Metropolis, and in a week or two, he'll be flying out to work a little bit with the Panel also." His brown eyes flickered over towards Kenichi, "He's been quite a help to us, ya know. I don't know if we'd been able to get a hearing with this Panel if he hadn't been on our side o'things."
The green haired boy nodded, "yes, I've heard." Atlas sat up, eyes bright again, "hey, that's right, you haven't met him yet, have ya? Well, ya'll like him; he's a decent enough fellow, for a politician." Kenichi had to laugh at that, Atlas' view of all people in office wasn't flattering.
***********************
Basil felt paranoid in this crowd. She hadn't ever been among this many people, and just trying to keep sight of Jizanda was enough to make her keep her grey eyes wide open and searching. Breathing just a little bit hard, the bags were heavy, and she was small and not built for lugging around heavy, cumbersome objects such as the bags, no matter how agile she was. Blowing her blue bangs out of her face, she panicked for a moment, eyes searching the terminal for any sign of Dr. Jizanda. A hand on her shoulder lead her to see the brown haired woman behind her, relaxing, Basil ventured, "It's rather.crowded in here, isn't it?"
Jizanda nodded, glasses mirroring her cross-looking hazel eyes and down- turned eyebrows. "Yes, it is. Never have liked that about airports. Or any large gathering place." Her voice was crabby, and Basil said no more, it was best to allow the older woman privacy to think out her own thoughts, besides; it kept her from getting her head ripped off.
They walked together, or as much were permitted by the large amount of people, in silence, the taller woman's grouchy expression, and confident distance covering stride for the most part kept people from bumping into her. Basil found it odd that at her most uncomfortable moment, Jizanda looked, and acted, her most confident and sure. Such odd little character quirks kept Basil constantly at odds with the older woman, as she'd been for much of her short life, but she had a hunch that the older woman did it on purpose to people, perhaps due to an extreme dislike of others seeing her at a low spot in her life. Either way, Dr. Jizanda would not have been her first choice for this little excursion, which still made little sense to her, but, it was the way things were. With that thought firmly set in mind, the blue haired girl kept her eyes up and trailed behind in the wake the taller woman left as she strolled through the crowds.
********************
Shunsaku was more than a little surprised when at arriving at the hotel when Kenichi stayed during his time in Metropolis, only to be informed by the desk clerk that the detective's nephew had left Metropolis for about a week, to return latter, and that the rooms located in the nearest former- train-car be reserved until then. The clerk did not where the young lad had left to; he'd assumed Japan, as he did at times to visit his uncle.
The detective assumed then that Kenichi must have written him of such, as it wasn't the boy's nature to go running off at every little whim, and not with out telling his uncle where he was going. He was a responsible lad, and until he got such a letter re-sent to him in Metropolis, Shunsaku thought he'd just sit tight, and, work on the case at hand.
The clerk was more than obliging to give Shunsaku Ban the keys to the rooms, and the short detective settled his bags in, and then, was off to do a bit more research before turning in for the night. Locking the door, he mentally made a list of all the places that might house the belongings of the late Dr. Luaghton, and, his stomach rumbling, a list of good places to eat.
******************
Leaning back into the leather chair, Jihad Shov relaxed for a moment from the paperwork. Glancing over at the small black circular clock on the opposite wall, he was a bit aghast at the fact that it was well into the night, but not surprised. The past couple years he'd spent far more time in his offices than at home. Not that he minded too much, home was large, tasteful apartment, but he had so much work, and going home with that thought hanging over him left a bad taste in his mouth.
Briefly, he let him mind wander from the matters at hand, usually good to do, since you could then come back with a fresh look. His parents, down well into their sixties, had retired to Spain, and for the most part, had left much of their money and influence behind with him, their youngest and remaining son. Why in the world he'd chosen to stay in Metropolis was beyond him. Except, for the political game. So thrilling, so intoxicating, like a good wine, or woman. And in Metropolis, not only was it thrilling, it was dangerous. One wrong move left you in serious trouble. Some men loved challenging the mountains to do their worst. Some men loved riding the rapids, trusting their lives to the fragile pieces of fibber-glass and rubber. Others, exploring the wilderness, the deaths of the ocean was their way of getting the thrills, the rush of adrenaline that close brushes with death brings. But him, it was politics. The fact that he ended up giving mankind a helping hand was a bonus.
Jihad Shov was what people would consider charming. The youngest child born to a couple well into their forties, and very well off, he'd had a brother older by 28 years, who doted on him, but was latter on killed in the War. Since then, he'd been, and still was, much to his dismay at times, focused on, with all of their energy and love pored into him. As such, he'd ended up as a spoiled child who'd learn quite quickly that by being charming and logical, you got what you want much faster than by throwing a fit. And, were much more liked for it. The fact that he had had fairly medium, average looks help him quite a bit in office, people were able to relate to him so much more. Dark hair, with bright, dark eyes and a dark complexion, his Hispanic heritage stood out quite a bit.
He'd attended the best of schools as a child, and had every advantage possible. Smart, and with most of his parents' huge fortune backing him, stepping up to the plate for office in Metropolis, right after that nasty business with the Ziggurat commissioned and built by the esteemed Duke Red, hadn't been that hard.
But, it had taken tact. At the end of it all, he really did want changes for Metropolis, and for the lower citizens, and with the chaotic mess left by the fall of the Ziggurat, and the assassination of President Boon, any one with any urges of power tried to take office. And the voices of the people had been pushed down stomped into the ground. And while he had to admit that a couple of the things they were against, such as robot labor, were a bit crazy, he could see, and understand, their need for a place in the world, for security for their families, and had resolved, worked, and even managed so far, to make more jobs open to the people below Metropolis, the people of Zone-1.
But, the problem was, even though people seemed to hate robots, so much had been placed upon them, that there was so little left for the humans. Something had to be done. And as usual, the question was, What?
That was why so much depended upon this meeting with the Panel in Belvorder. And why it was so important that Atlas impress the problem correctly. He'd had his doubts about the young man, that revolution idea had just been..a disaster, to say the least. But he seemed to have matured since then, and there was no question, people listened to him. He had the flair, the presence of a leader, and Jihad had not doubt that if steered correctly, Atlas could become a very important person in Metropolis.
"Mr. Shov?"
He was jolted out of his thoughts by the sound of his secretary coming in on the privet intercom. Damn, he'd thought that she'd gone home by now! It was well after eleven...leaning forwarded, "Yes, Mercie? What is it?"
"There's two people waiting out here to see you."
"What the. Mercie, it's past eleven! How'd they get into the building, much less the office?" His voice conveyed his disbelief and anger to his secretary, whom answered back calmly, being use to his moods by now, "They said that one of the receptionist let them in, and escorted them up. They say that their business is quite pressing with you."
"Who are they?"
"The elder lady gave her name as Dr. Mieeki, sir. Should I let them in, or ask that they come back tomorrow, at a decent hour?" The slight edge to her voice showed her disbelief as someone with matters so pressing they couldn't wait until morning, or to privately call.
But Jihad missed that. His mind had frozen the moment he'd heard Dr. Mieeki, and hadn't moved past it. Her! Yes, he'd kept in contact with the woman, he couldn't see how he couldn't of, his parents had adored her. But he knew also that she hated Metropolis with quite a bit of passion, and for her to be here, personally...
"Sir?"
The tall man was snapped back into reality by the sound of his secretary's annoyed voice, "yes, Marcie, show them in. At once."
"Really? But.yes sir."
A few seconds later, the smaller blonde haired woman opened the door, and behind her walked in Her. He mentally checked over her, same wild, crazy ash brown hair, cut much shorter now, same stern, cold hazel eyes, hidden behind glasses, same tall, strong stance and stride, same way of walking into a room and owning it. She still dressed well, with that sense of class that he'd always admired about her, arm in a sling, he was surprised to find, she was of the cautious, careful sort, not likely to get into any accidents.
Walking to the center or the room, and waiting until he coughed, a sign for Mercie to shut the door and leave, she looked like an elderly queen returning to her kingdom.
Rising out of his chair, he spread his hands, "Jizanda. I can't say I'm pleased to see you again, but, welcome back."
**********************
With a belly full of food, a couple visits around the city, a bit more new information, and Shunsaku Ban was ready to call it quits for the night, and read over what he'd managed to find out. Since his last visit to Metropolis, and with Kenichi spending so much time in the city, he'd taken care to keep himself updated on the events occurring.
Aside from the city, and state of Metropolis being thrown into almost a kind of civil war, with politicians battling right and left, and with the people of Metropolis doing the same, throwing the fits over the number of robots allowed, and controlling the city, it'd been a royal mess. But one that seemed to be getting cleaned up, slowly but surely. The level of anger that he'd felt the fist time he'd visit Metropolis had gone down quite a bit, to a smaller, quieter feel, not nearly as powerful as before, when it had just sat, smoldering beneath the surface, waiting to erupt. The citizens of Metropolis had a way now to channel their anger through; instead of keeping it underneath, hiding it, waiting until it consumed them. Now, they worked for a common goal, getting their jobs back, and rebuilding Metropolis into the powerful city that it's been before. Weather or not that was a good thing, was yet to be seen.
The short, round detective had managed to find some information on where Dr. Luaghton's notes would be held, and planned to visit them in the morning. It might be more difficult to obtain the notes, and journals, since people seemed to hate to part with things they thought had value. Which of course those notes had, to the scientific world, they could be priceless. It was just finding someone who'd want the bad name attached with them would be hard to find.
But, evidently, the O.E.R.A's didn't mind that little curse. Or, did they? The loop continued.
*************************
Kenichi was hunched over a table outside of the large briefing room, where the Panel was currently debriefing a case. Atlas had disappeared for the moment, leaving the younger lad by himself, writing in his notepad.
He'd finally managed to figure out the simpler components of the inter working of what had been Tima, and was just starting to get a grasp of the science of robotics. The past two years of constantly studying the various manuals, and notes that Dr. Luaghton had left behind were finally starting to pay off. And by writing out things, he memorized the working much faster. It was easier work, once you had a grasp of things, he decided, sitting back and surveying his work proudly.
"Interesting work?"
The green haired boy turned in his seat, expecting to see Atlas, but instead, there was a young man, looking to be in his late twenties, looking over his shoulder. Shutting the cover on the notebook, Kenichi nodded. Some times it was better to not let people in on what you were working on, something he'd learned from both his uncle and the past couple years.
"Oh? I am sorry. I did not realize I was intruding." From the phrasing of his words, and slight accent, Kenichi guessed that the young man was European, shaking his head, "oh, no, it's all right. I was just waiting.."
Nodding, and taking a chair by the table the young man agreed, "Ah, I know. My employer has been in there since early this morning. And, as you can see, it is close to late afternoon. But, I am rude." Holding his hand out, "My name is Jonathan Oshko. And you are.."
"Oh, I'm Kenichi. I'm here with my friends; they have a meeting with the Panel as soon as this current session is over." Kenichi shook the man' hand, "What are you here for? I mean, why are you here seeing the Panel?"
Smiling a quite, half smile, the young man nodded, "Yes. The Board of the Science of Humanolgly, is located here this year, and we've been having a bit of trouble with them, with understanding, and communication."
"Oh?" Kenichi felt a bit puzzled, "what's Humanolgly?"
"It's the study of the human body, the inter workings, and how it all fits together. At least, that's the short hand of it. It is a bit more complicated, but that is the long and short of it."
"Oh, I see." At that moment, Atlas appeared again, just as the huge doors to the briefing room opened, men and women poring out. Shaking hands once again with Kenichi, Jonathan smiled. "Good luck with your friends and you Kenichi. We'll probably be seeing bit of each other around, and, I hope you have a good luck with what you are working on. " Looking after him in surprise, Kenichi wondered if the older man had gotten a look before he'd managed to close his notebook, before turning back towards Atlas and the others.
*******************
So..the pipsqueak had left Metropolis again. And not back to Japan, like he'd done before, in the past two years. This time, to Belvoder, with the rest of those damned fools, to whine about life. Big whoop.
He'd been keeping an eye on that Kenichi for a while now, he'd had the faintest feeling that if he was to get any important information, it'd be through him. After all, the twerp had been friends with that damned robot Tima, hadn't he? Speaking of information however, he'd gotten some very interesting tidbits just a little while ago. Weather or not it'd come in handy, only time would tell so far.
Only time could tell anything, he'd learned that.
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Well, there we go! Chapter four! And a long one at that! Wheeee! Next chapter will be along shortly, and it should get much, much more interesting after this.anyways, hope you liked, if you noticed anything, or have any questions, comments, helpful stuff, ect, please tell me! I like hearing comments and such, they help me improve. ;) Thankies to everyone who has so far, I love ya!
Chapter Four: The cards are placed
Written by: Xalan
Notes: WOW! Chapter four! That's farther than anything else I've written as of the past couple years. I'm pretty thrilled about that. Hnnnn, as for actual notes this time, not much. Worked a little bit with Kenichi past, since I thought it odd no one ever mentioned HIS parents, or that Shunsaku would let him stay behind in Metropolis without asking his parents, so, playing around with some ideas for that. And, sorry about Atlas being so out of character, I'm working on that..... Also, slowly working through the slower parts and things should be getting a little bit more interesting, so just work with me people. Alright then, on to the story!
************************
Shunsaku Ban grabbed his carry-on bag as the passengers exited the plane, having landed without complications in Metropolis International Airport. The plane ride had been uneventful, which for the most was how he liked his trips in air planes, and he'd managed to get a bit of work done. Not much more information had been uncovered, but, he was sure of his ability to work it out in the end. Now, he had to find the notes of the late Dr. Luaghton, make some copies of the red notebook Kenichi had, and return back to Japan, although, he was considering a side trip to Europe to maybe "visit" the faculties of the O.E.R.A.
Ah, the line was moving forward. He paused a moment to allowed the blue haired girl and her friend, the older woman with her arm in the sling, out in front of him. The girl nodded her thanks quietly, and hosting the two's bags over her small shoulder, stepped into line.
He'd managed to strike up a conversation with the quiet girl during the trip, and had learned that her name was Basil; she'd lived for a while in parts of Europe and Asia, and was here in Metropolis on business with her Doctor. She'd been very frank with her answers, but didn't end up talking that much, aside from the part she was reading up on Metropolis, since she'd heard little of the great city, which apparently had been what she'd been so interested in on her laptop. He hadn't managed to find out what business she was in town for, since she only looked be about 14 or 15, or why her "Doctor" was with her. He found trying to get such details from people as very good practice for later on when he needed such skills in an investigation, and besides, he was a social person, and the girl had been quite polite in answering and making small talk. A very good thing to see in young people now a days.
**************************
Kenichi settled back into the seat. The plane would be taking off soon, and while he felt a bit guilty about not being able to work on Tima for a week, he did feel happy that he was going to be of some use to Atlas, in paying him, and the others, back for all of the help they'd given him. Some of the older, and few, girls who worked with Atlas and Jihad Shov acted very motherly to him, fussing over him and such. It was kind of embarrassing, but nice at the same time. His mother living in the States now left him missing her a lot in the past five years, her having moved there after his father died of the cancer tumor, and Uncle Shunsaku offering to have Kenichi live with him. It'd been very distracting from his father's death to work as his uncle's assistant and fun at the same time, since he'd loved his mother's older brother as a very young child.
Atlas sunk into the seat next to him, smiling. "Well, then, we're all set to go. How'd things go last night packing?"
Kenichi shrugged, "Not too bad, I didn't have that much to pack, just some manuals and stuff." Atlas raised an eyebrow, but said nothing; he'd learned that probing the younger boy about such things got him nowhere. "Hey, Atlas, this.Governor Jihad Shov, is he coming to Belovdor?"
Atlas laid back into the seat, arms behind his heads, eyes looking off into space, "nop, not yet, any ways. He's got things to take care of on this end in Metropolis, and in a week or two, he'll be flying out to work a little bit with the Panel also." His brown eyes flickered over towards Kenichi, "He's been quite a help to us, ya know. I don't know if we'd been able to get a hearing with this Panel if he hadn't been on our side o'things."
The green haired boy nodded, "yes, I've heard." Atlas sat up, eyes bright again, "hey, that's right, you haven't met him yet, have ya? Well, ya'll like him; he's a decent enough fellow, for a politician." Kenichi had to laugh at that, Atlas' view of all people in office wasn't flattering.
***********************
Basil felt paranoid in this crowd. She hadn't ever been among this many people, and just trying to keep sight of Jizanda was enough to make her keep her grey eyes wide open and searching. Breathing just a little bit hard, the bags were heavy, and she was small and not built for lugging around heavy, cumbersome objects such as the bags, no matter how agile she was. Blowing her blue bangs out of her face, she panicked for a moment, eyes searching the terminal for any sign of Dr. Jizanda. A hand on her shoulder lead her to see the brown haired woman behind her, relaxing, Basil ventured, "It's rather.crowded in here, isn't it?"
Jizanda nodded, glasses mirroring her cross-looking hazel eyes and down- turned eyebrows. "Yes, it is. Never have liked that about airports. Or any large gathering place." Her voice was crabby, and Basil said no more, it was best to allow the older woman privacy to think out her own thoughts, besides; it kept her from getting her head ripped off.
They walked together, or as much were permitted by the large amount of people, in silence, the taller woman's grouchy expression, and confident distance covering stride for the most part kept people from bumping into her. Basil found it odd that at her most uncomfortable moment, Jizanda looked, and acted, her most confident and sure. Such odd little character quirks kept Basil constantly at odds with the older woman, as she'd been for much of her short life, but she had a hunch that the older woman did it on purpose to people, perhaps due to an extreme dislike of others seeing her at a low spot in her life. Either way, Dr. Jizanda would not have been her first choice for this little excursion, which still made little sense to her, but, it was the way things were. With that thought firmly set in mind, the blue haired girl kept her eyes up and trailed behind in the wake the taller woman left as she strolled through the crowds.
********************
Shunsaku was more than a little surprised when at arriving at the hotel when Kenichi stayed during his time in Metropolis, only to be informed by the desk clerk that the detective's nephew had left Metropolis for about a week, to return latter, and that the rooms located in the nearest former- train-car be reserved until then. The clerk did not where the young lad had left to; he'd assumed Japan, as he did at times to visit his uncle.
The detective assumed then that Kenichi must have written him of such, as it wasn't the boy's nature to go running off at every little whim, and not with out telling his uncle where he was going. He was a responsible lad, and until he got such a letter re-sent to him in Metropolis, Shunsaku thought he'd just sit tight, and, work on the case at hand.
The clerk was more than obliging to give Shunsaku Ban the keys to the rooms, and the short detective settled his bags in, and then, was off to do a bit more research before turning in for the night. Locking the door, he mentally made a list of all the places that might house the belongings of the late Dr. Luaghton, and, his stomach rumbling, a list of good places to eat.
******************
Leaning back into the leather chair, Jihad Shov relaxed for a moment from the paperwork. Glancing over at the small black circular clock on the opposite wall, he was a bit aghast at the fact that it was well into the night, but not surprised. The past couple years he'd spent far more time in his offices than at home. Not that he minded too much, home was large, tasteful apartment, but he had so much work, and going home with that thought hanging over him left a bad taste in his mouth.
Briefly, he let him mind wander from the matters at hand, usually good to do, since you could then come back with a fresh look. His parents, down well into their sixties, had retired to Spain, and for the most part, had left much of their money and influence behind with him, their youngest and remaining son. Why in the world he'd chosen to stay in Metropolis was beyond him. Except, for the political game. So thrilling, so intoxicating, like a good wine, or woman. And in Metropolis, not only was it thrilling, it was dangerous. One wrong move left you in serious trouble. Some men loved challenging the mountains to do their worst. Some men loved riding the rapids, trusting their lives to the fragile pieces of fibber-glass and rubber. Others, exploring the wilderness, the deaths of the ocean was their way of getting the thrills, the rush of adrenaline that close brushes with death brings. But him, it was politics. The fact that he ended up giving mankind a helping hand was a bonus.
Jihad Shov was what people would consider charming. The youngest child born to a couple well into their forties, and very well off, he'd had a brother older by 28 years, who doted on him, but was latter on killed in the War. Since then, he'd been, and still was, much to his dismay at times, focused on, with all of their energy and love pored into him. As such, he'd ended up as a spoiled child who'd learn quite quickly that by being charming and logical, you got what you want much faster than by throwing a fit. And, were much more liked for it. The fact that he had had fairly medium, average looks help him quite a bit in office, people were able to relate to him so much more. Dark hair, with bright, dark eyes and a dark complexion, his Hispanic heritage stood out quite a bit.
He'd attended the best of schools as a child, and had every advantage possible. Smart, and with most of his parents' huge fortune backing him, stepping up to the plate for office in Metropolis, right after that nasty business with the Ziggurat commissioned and built by the esteemed Duke Red, hadn't been that hard.
But, it had taken tact. At the end of it all, he really did want changes for Metropolis, and for the lower citizens, and with the chaotic mess left by the fall of the Ziggurat, and the assassination of President Boon, any one with any urges of power tried to take office. And the voices of the people had been pushed down stomped into the ground. And while he had to admit that a couple of the things they were against, such as robot labor, were a bit crazy, he could see, and understand, their need for a place in the world, for security for their families, and had resolved, worked, and even managed so far, to make more jobs open to the people below Metropolis, the people of Zone-1.
But, the problem was, even though people seemed to hate robots, so much had been placed upon them, that there was so little left for the humans. Something had to be done. And as usual, the question was, What?
That was why so much depended upon this meeting with the Panel in Belvorder. And why it was so important that Atlas impress the problem correctly. He'd had his doubts about the young man, that revolution idea had just been..a disaster, to say the least. But he seemed to have matured since then, and there was no question, people listened to him. He had the flair, the presence of a leader, and Jihad had not doubt that if steered correctly, Atlas could become a very important person in Metropolis.
"Mr. Shov?"
He was jolted out of his thoughts by the sound of his secretary coming in on the privet intercom. Damn, he'd thought that she'd gone home by now! It was well after eleven...leaning forwarded, "Yes, Mercie? What is it?"
"There's two people waiting out here to see you."
"What the. Mercie, it's past eleven! How'd they get into the building, much less the office?" His voice conveyed his disbelief and anger to his secretary, whom answered back calmly, being use to his moods by now, "They said that one of the receptionist let them in, and escorted them up. They say that their business is quite pressing with you."
"Who are they?"
"The elder lady gave her name as Dr. Mieeki, sir. Should I let them in, or ask that they come back tomorrow, at a decent hour?" The slight edge to her voice showed her disbelief as someone with matters so pressing they couldn't wait until morning, or to privately call.
But Jihad missed that. His mind had frozen the moment he'd heard Dr. Mieeki, and hadn't moved past it. Her! Yes, he'd kept in contact with the woman, he couldn't see how he couldn't of, his parents had adored her. But he knew also that she hated Metropolis with quite a bit of passion, and for her to be here, personally...
"Sir?"
The tall man was snapped back into reality by the sound of his secretary's annoyed voice, "yes, Marcie, show them in. At once."
"Really? But.yes sir."
A few seconds later, the smaller blonde haired woman opened the door, and behind her walked in Her. He mentally checked over her, same wild, crazy ash brown hair, cut much shorter now, same stern, cold hazel eyes, hidden behind glasses, same tall, strong stance and stride, same way of walking into a room and owning it. She still dressed well, with that sense of class that he'd always admired about her, arm in a sling, he was surprised to find, she was of the cautious, careful sort, not likely to get into any accidents.
Walking to the center or the room, and waiting until he coughed, a sign for Mercie to shut the door and leave, she looked like an elderly queen returning to her kingdom.
Rising out of his chair, he spread his hands, "Jizanda. I can't say I'm pleased to see you again, but, welcome back."
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With a belly full of food, a couple visits around the city, a bit more new information, and Shunsaku Ban was ready to call it quits for the night, and read over what he'd managed to find out. Since his last visit to Metropolis, and with Kenichi spending so much time in the city, he'd taken care to keep himself updated on the events occurring.
Aside from the city, and state of Metropolis being thrown into almost a kind of civil war, with politicians battling right and left, and with the people of Metropolis doing the same, throwing the fits over the number of robots allowed, and controlling the city, it'd been a royal mess. But one that seemed to be getting cleaned up, slowly but surely. The level of anger that he'd felt the fist time he'd visit Metropolis had gone down quite a bit, to a smaller, quieter feel, not nearly as powerful as before, when it had just sat, smoldering beneath the surface, waiting to erupt. The citizens of Metropolis had a way now to channel their anger through; instead of keeping it underneath, hiding it, waiting until it consumed them. Now, they worked for a common goal, getting their jobs back, and rebuilding Metropolis into the powerful city that it's been before. Weather or not that was a good thing, was yet to be seen.
The short, round detective had managed to find some information on where Dr. Luaghton's notes would be held, and planned to visit them in the morning. It might be more difficult to obtain the notes, and journals, since people seemed to hate to part with things they thought had value. Which of course those notes had, to the scientific world, they could be priceless. It was just finding someone who'd want the bad name attached with them would be hard to find.
But, evidently, the O.E.R.A's didn't mind that little curse. Or, did they? The loop continued.
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Kenichi was hunched over a table outside of the large briefing room, where the Panel was currently debriefing a case. Atlas had disappeared for the moment, leaving the younger lad by himself, writing in his notepad.
He'd finally managed to figure out the simpler components of the inter working of what had been Tima, and was just starting to get a grasp of the science of robotics. The past two years of constantly studying the various manuals, and notes that Dr. Luaghton had left behind were finally starting to pay off. And by writing out things, he memorized the working much faster. It was easier work, once you had a grasp of things, he decided, sitting back and surveying his work proudly.
"Interesting work?"
The green haired boy turned in his seat, expecting to see Atlas, but instead, there was a young man, looking to be in his late twenties, looking over his shoulder. Shutting the cover on the notebook, Kenichi nodded. Some times it was better to not let people in on what you were working on, something he'd learned from both his uncle and the past couple years.
"Oh? I am sorry. I did not realize I was intruding." From the phrasing of his words, and slight accent, Kenichi guessed that the young man was European, shaking his head, "oh, no, it's all right. I was just waiting.."
Nodding, and taking a chair by the table the young man agreed, "Ah, I know. My employer has been in there since early this morning. And, as you can see, it is close to late afternoon. But, I am rude." Holding his hand out, "My name is Jonathan Oshko. And you are.."
"Oh, I'm Kenichi. I'm here with my friends; they have a meeting with the Panel as soon as this current session is over." Kenichi shook the man' hand, "What are you here for? I mean, why are you here seeing the Panel?"
Smiling a quite, half smile, the young man nodded, "Yes. The Board of the Science of Humanolgly, is located here this year, and we've been having a bit of trouble with them, with understanding, and communication."
"Oh?" Kenichi felt a bit puzzled, "what's Humanolgly?"
"It's the study of the human body, the inter workings, and how it all fits together. At least, that's the short hand of it. It is a bit more complicated, but that is the long and short of it."
"Oh, I see." At that moment, Atlas appeared again, just as the huge doors to the briefing room opened, men and women poring out. Shaking hands once again with Kenichi, Jonathan smiled. "Good luck with your friends and you Kenichi. We'll probably be seeing bit of each other around, and, I hope you have a good luck with what you are working on. " Looking after him in surprise, Kenichi wondered if the older man had gotten a look before he'd managed to close his notebook, before turning back towards Atlas and the others.
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So..the pipsqueak had left Metropolis again. And not back to Japan, like he'd done before, in the past two years. This time, to Belvoder, with the rest of those damned fools, to whine about life. Big whoop.
He'd been keeping an eye on that Kenichi for a while now, he'd had the faintest feeling that if he was to get any important information, it'd be through him. After all, the twerp had been friends with that damned robot Tima, hadn't he? Speaking of information however, he'd gotten some very interesting tidbits just a little while ago. Weather or not it'd come in handy, only time would tell so far.
Only time could tell anything, he'd learned that.
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Well, there we go! Chapter four! And a long one at that! Wheeee! Next chapter will be along shortly, and it should get much, much more interesting after this.anyways, hope you liked, if you noticed anything, or have any questions, comments, helpful stuff, ect, please tell me! I like hearing comments and such, they help me improve. ;) Thankies to everyone who has so far, I love ya!