Ch4-
Karigari and Sasagawa rushed into the other room, both expecting that whatever was on TV had something to do with the unknown enemy. They were correct, but exactly what they saw on screen still came as a shock.
"Doctor, how did you get on TV?" Akira asked.
"That isn't me!" he replied, glaring at his subordinate. Yet, the man on TV looked just like him, down to having the same mask and prosthetic hand. As Karigari had neither of those things for long, his impersonator was quite well informed.
"Greetings to everyone tuned in to Akasaka Television today," the Karigari-lookalike spoke. "If you were watching to see the Drive Heads struggle in vain to rescue those caught up in my latest disaster, I'm sorry for disappointing you. But you can have your bland entertainment back shortly. I won't be long. Now, this broadcast is mostly for the benefit of the Mobile Rescue Police, my arch enemies. I've decided to settle my score with you for good. If you do not disband and destroy all the Drive Heads within 48 hours, I'll simply destroy the entire city. If you decide to resist and fight for this city instead, well… your Drive Heads won't be able to keep up with the sheer level of devastation I have planned, and will be destroyed either way, along with the lives of everyone else. I think the choice is obvious, and I await your answer."
The broadcast ended just as abruptly as it started, returning to the news coverage of the rescue at the construction site.
"Destroy the Drive Heads?!" Sasagawa exclaimed. "This person is horrible!"
"Not only horrible, but aside from mimicking my looks and even voice, his rendition of me is a failure." Karigari was seething.
"But how did he pull that off?" Yusuke asked. "You sure it wasn't you?"
"Yes!" he shouted. "I am completely sure." He scowled. "As for how he pulled it off, he clearly has access to a great deal of technology. Projecting this image of me is far from the most complicated thing he's managed to do."
"Umm…" Sasagawa realized something just then. "I have to get back to the station right away. If he hijacked the broadcast, then maybe I can find something there."
Maybe he was even there, although that was probably hoping for too much. But at the very least, the tech department could track where the interference came from. One way or another, chances of finding Karigari's impersonator were high.
"Dr. Karigari, thanks for inviting me to your secret hideout. I hope I can see the new one as well." Sasagawa rushed out the secret exit.
"Doctor, are you going to follow her?" Yusuke asked.
"No," Karigari replied. "I wish I could, but my appearing anywhere near the Akasaka TV building now will only create further difficulties. What an irritating situation this has become."
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Akira replied.
"I thought to contact the Mobile Rescue Police, however that can wait," Karigari said, though he was mostly thinking out loud. "It should be simple for me to track the broadcast signals from here. Obviously, he didn't go to the Akasaka TV station personally. It was a video he played, not his true face. He must have hacked the signal elsewhere, but I'll find his true location myself. Then, I can defeat him before he gets the chance to destroy the city."
"Doctor, you're awesome!" Akira said.
"Yes, I know," he replied. "Now be quiet and let me work."
"Sasagawa, you're back." A male co-worker approached her almost as soon as she entered the building.
"Yes," she said. "I'm sorry I took so long. However, I saw the broadcast while I was out. Do you know anything about it?"
"There are already some people investigating," the man replied. "But there's no sign of Dr. Karigari anywhere in the building. Most likely, he hacked this place from somewhere remotely." He scratched his head. It was all too technical for him. "This on top of the incident still not being cleared up. It was a real mess this time. But the crew we sent out there did get back to us, and they're all safe. They should be back pretty soon, I think."
"I'm glad they're safe," Sasagawa replied. She assumed Unai must have gone out. "Thank you."
Well, the incident was something she could worry about later. Now, her priority was to see how the investigations were going. She headed to one of the control rooms, where behind the scenes work was done. Usually she never had to worry about that, but it wasn't like she was prohibited from going inside.
"What have you found?"
"Oh…" Her entrance surprised the small crew who had been working in there. "You mean, concerning Dr. Karigari?"
"Yes," she said. This person was just like the man before. She wished everyone would stop saying that it was Karigari's doing. But of course, everyone still had no reason to believe otherwise.
"Well we have some good news," he replied. "We've just about tracked the location the broadcast was sent from."
"Where?" Sasagawa asked, perking up.
"By the radio towers a few miles east of here," he answered. "That could very well be where he's hiding. We're going to inform the police and-"
"Thank you," Sasagawa interrupted. "I'm heading there as well."
"Y-you really don't have to," the man replied, surprised by her decision.
Sasagawa disagreed, of course. Borrowing one of the news vans which wasn't in use at the time, she rushed out to the radio towers.
When Sasagawa finally arrived, there didn't seem to be much going on. There were a few police cars parked there, the officers wandering around. It wasn't the Mobile Rescue Police, though.
'Was I too late?' she wondered. Hopefully not, but it definitely didn't look like anything suspicious was going on. Not that she even knew what the enemy really looked like. What was she expecting, really? Someone to be standing there with a big sign reading 'I'm Karigari'? Well, the real Karigari was one for theatrics, but this person wasn't the real Karigari.
She may not have seen Karigari, but someone unexpected did appear just then. Suddenly, Gou Kurumada was there, along with the large black-and-white dog which lived at the Mobile Rescue Police headquarters.
"What are you doing here?" Sasagawa asked.
"Oh… I-I wanted to see if anything was here," Gou stuttered. He wasn't expecting to run into Sasagawa either, and knew he had to be careful what he said around her. Not that he had any personal objection to revealing his true identity. But he couldn't help but imagine that Shinmon was secretly watching, and would stop him even if he tried. "My dad found out that Karigari's broadcast might have came from here. Well… not Karigari, but…"
"I know," Sasagawa said. "But there doesn't seem to be anyone here."
"I brought Axel with me," Gou replied, confidently. "I'm sure he could sniff something out."
Axel, however, seemed very uninterested in the place, and was just lazing on the floor.
"Perhaps," Sasagawa replied, though she didn't really believe it. She thought it nice that Gou came out, seemingly to try and help, but still, he was just a child. Exactly how helpful he could be, she wasn't sure. "Does your dad know you're here?" She wondered.
"Well… kinda," Gou replied. "We're not allowed to lau… I mean, the Drive Heads aren't allowed to launch yet, and everyone's kinda tense right now. So I thought I would go out and do something."
"I see," Sasagawa replied. Under normal circumstances, she'd try and pry for more information about the Drive Heads from him, but she had bigger things to worry about now.
"You know, Sasagawa-san," Gou spoke. "During a big incident not long ago, the Drive Heads were in a real pinch. But Karigari helped us. That was the first time I actually met him. And, he's really pretty weird and made all kinds of problems for us, but I think he's not really a bad person. He's almost kind of cool... Except for when he destroyed Sonic Interceptor." Gou was still a little bitter over that.
"Sonic…" Sasagawa was also a little depressed, hearing that name. "But, then we got Cyclone Interceptor, which is even cooler. And that new Force Field Mode!"
"Yeah, about that…" Gou paused. That was of course exactly what he'd been talking about. The mode Karigari designed for Cyclone. Also a secret. He had to change the subject, slightly. "You also believe in Karigari?"
"Of course," said Sasagawa. "Some time ago, he saved my life. Well, that's not the reason. When I first met him, I thought he was a terrible person. And not just because he destroyed my Sonic. I felt the same way everyone feels about him now. I was surprised that he wasn't at all like I imagined. He's an incredible person, capable of all sorts of impossible things, but he's also very… human. He's awkward and gentle and even vulnerable. It's strange, when you think about the face he reveals in public. I don't think that's false either… but it's not all there is to him. I guess, most people wouldn't understand." Certainly not now, when he was threatening to destroy the city and already caused two horrible incidents.
"A lot of people are different than you might expect," Gou said. Like Interceptor's driver, for one. Everyone imagined he was someone mature and larger-than-life, not that he was a normal grade-schooler. It got kind of annoying.
"That's true," Sasagawa replied. Gou might have just been a kid, but he wasn't a foolish one, she realized. It was no wonder he helped out the Mobile Rescue Police. And he was an Interceptor fan as well. That also won points with her. "Umm…"
Her thought was interrupted though when her phone suddenly rang. It was a call from the station, so she couldn't ignore it.
"There was another incident?" That had her worried already. What could it be this time? "Okay, I understand. I'll head right there." There was nothing to find where she was now. She might as well go and take care of work.
"An incident?" Gou obviously overheard her. That was strange to him. If Akasaka TV found out and had gotten to the point of sending out a crew, wouldn't he have also gotten a call on the Drive Gear to launch? Even if they were being cautious concerning the investigation, they couldn't sit still in a true incident. As Sasagawa had already headed back to the news van and wasn't paying attention, Gou pulled the Drive Gear out from his pocket. It wasn't ringing or indicating any sort of trouble. Well, if there was something wrong, he had to head back to base anyway. Everyone knew there that he was Cyclone's driver and would be looking for him.
"Doctor, you still haven't found him?" Yusuke wondered.
"Although not on my level, he's proving to be quite the intelligent foe," Karigari replied. "It didn't take me long at all to track back the signals to the radio towers. However, that was a mere decoy, likely to lure the police down the wrong path."
"Well, the police are stupid anyway," Akira replied.
"I'd rather not have them interfering," Karigari said. "The good thing is that now I'm closing in on the true location his broadcast was sent from. Then I'll have him all to myself."
Upon reaching the designated area, Sasagawa frowned.
'This is the scene of a disaster?' she wondered. It certainly didn't appear that way. There was no fire, not even smoke. No police or emergency vehicles there. Definitely no Drive Heads, although they simply might not have arrived yet. She wasn't all that far from the location, so she might have gotten there first, and she remembered what Gou had said about the Drive Heads not being permitted to launch for the time being. Though she hoped they would change that stance if there was a genuine disaster.
That being said, there was no disaster to be seen.
'Maybe the coordinates were wrong?' she wondered. The place where she ended up was a rather run-down area, full of abandoned buildings. Not a place where people lived, or would come to unless they absolutely had to pass through. If a disaster were to happen here, could it really be anything significant? Yes, it had to be some mistake.
'I'll have to call them again and find out,' Sasagawa decided. Leaning against the walls of one of the buildings, she took out her phone and began to dial.
Just as she was about to hit send, someone grabbed her wrist, pulling her close to them. The phone dropped from her hands.
Sasagawa tried to pull away, but the grip was tight, sharp nails digging in. Her arm was twisted behind her back, and another hand covered her mouth. She couldn't even get a good look at the person, who was behind her. She was already panicking, regardless.
"So we finally meet," the person said. His voice wasn't anyone's she recognized. "As it happens, the former Karigari is this close to uncovering my whereabouts. I can't have him interfering, and I don't want you getting in my way either. Why not kill two birds with one stone, I thought."
'The former Karigari…' Sasagawa had already wondered, but hearing those words, she knew exactly whom she was dealing with. Then, it all made sense. He could clearly disguise his voice and hack signals. He was the one who sent her the call. Well, this wasn't the way she hoped to meet him, but she finally had found the enemy as planned. The only hard part now would be getting away from him in order to expose the truth.
Karigari smirked. He'd figured it out. Completely. However, he wasn't given the chance to celebrate at all.
There was a bing from his computer. An encrypted e-mail was sent to Karigari.
'It must be from him,' Karigari realized. Despite using the best stealth methods he knew, Karigari wasn't completely surprised that his foe was capable of tracking his tracking. Well, that just meant he'd have to move faster. He opened up the e-mail, just to see what it said.
'To the former Karigari
By now, I'm certain you must have found my location. I must admit you have gall to even try and oppose me, when you've done nothing of note for so long. I'd consider it a compliment of my efforts if I wasn't aware of the legitimate threat you pose to me. However, I'd like to propose a new term with you in my fabulous game. You'll stop right now, and come nowhere near the location you found. Aside from the whole city, who already rest in the palm of my hands, I've taken one special hostage. Someone of value to you. If you care for her survival, you'll follow this simple new rule.
Signed, the true Karigari.'
Karigari smashed the laptop onto the floor with his metallic hand. It probably broke, but he didn't care. Despite no name being mentioned, there was only one person the message could have been referring to.
"Posing as me was one thing, but threatening Miss is inexcusable!"
"Doctor! What's going on?!" Naturally, Akira and Yusuke heard crashing and yelling and were there behind him in seconds.
"My imposter has struck again." Karigari looked outright murderous. "This time Miss' life is on the line."