Essex county UK, eight days later...

Crunch.

She bit into the apple, taking a juicy chunk into her awaiting mouth. It was the fourth of such, leaving less than half of the red fruit remaining. Her delight was marred by that observation. While she enjoyed the treat immensely, she had leaned the hard way that consuming too many too soon caused...problems. The stomach cramp it created last time made her double over in pain, and nearly caused Tojo to lose a limb in her anger. She internally sighed at the regrettable circumstances that denied such pleasures.

Instead of dwelling Black Rock Shooter leaned her head back and stared into the endless blue expanse of the sky. While she had grown used to its presence she still hadn't lost the amazement at seeing such a thing. Thinking of that brought a slight smile; very little that she had seen since arriving in this world hadn't amazed her in one way or another. How humans could live in a place like Earth and still be upset was something she doubted she would ever figure out.

While her mind was busy contemplating existence, a light wind blew. All around her leaves rustled, obeying the whims of the warming spring weather. She was high enough up to get a clear look at the sky, but not enough to have a completely unobstructed view. That could be rectified by standing up, which would defeat the entire purpose of sitting down to rest. It didn't bother her too much though. Her perch was comfortable enough, and certainly more secluded than it would be otherwise. She felt a light chill, coming from her jacket being off and hung over a nearby branch, but again she didn't mind. Since it was midmorning it would warm up soon anyway.

Another quiet rustle sound came, making her freeze. She immediately recognized it was not the wind. The apple hung away from her, the slightly browning treat held in a still grasp. The forearm of that limb had a small pad of white gauze taped on. Another rustle from the direction of her feet, and her free hand came off of her stomach where it was resting and formed a fist. With deliberate care she scanned her head around to see what it could be. The occupied arm drew back for her to jump to her feet in a hurry, if necessary.

She suspected danger, but what it actually was turned out to be little concern. A small creature, no bigger than her fist, was busy inspecting the branch that she was sitting on. Its movements were erratic and jerky, no smooth flow like anything else she had contact with. Brown fur like stuff coated its tiny body, save for a brown appendage on its head and two black beady eyes. After a moment she recalled the name the others had given it: swallow.

Curious but no longer alert she relaxed, letting her hands resume their original positions. The bird pecked at the branch for an indeterminate amount of time, searching for something. Whatever it could have been, it didn't find it, and it leaped off the brach. Its wings unfolded out and it soared away with a dissatisfied chirp. She watched the spectacle with interest. The bird didn't seem like it noticed her presence, though it was possible it simply didn't see her as a threat.

Crunch went another bite. Black Rock Shooter glanced back at the apple and scowled. Most of the meat was gone, leaving behind the core and the ends. She shook her head at her carelessness, obviously overestimated how much was left. According to the others only six a day was recommended to avoid the cramps, and the one in her hand was the third. She leaned back and sighed at the misfortune, tossing the core away.

Her misery didn't last long however, for only a few minutes later she heard a human voice echoing nearby.

"Rock! Ro~ock! Black Rock Shooter!" after a seconds of recollection she determined the owner as Mao, perking her interest. She had no problems with the man, and as far as she knew it was vice versa. So then why was he wandering around and calling her name?

She leaned forward and adjusted herself, going from a peaceful sitting position to crouched over. Then she crawled towards the end of the branch, taking care to not rustle the foliage too much. Several feet before it tapered off (where she knew it wouldn't support her weight) she spotted him through the leaves, steadily making his way closer.

If her interest was piqued before, it was bubbling now. He was in light airy clothes, not quite enough for the brisk weather. She saw the standard boots he usually wore though, the kind that he took when they were hiking. Considering how the forest floor was littered with sticks and leaves, it meant he expected to run in a moments notice and not get impeded. Strangely enough, he was unarmed. She didn't know what to make of that.

Mao stopped a few paces from her tree and sighed irritably. "Damn that girl. Can't ever just stay in sight, always have to go hide somewhere. Probably already back there already" he muttered. She was mostly certain he didn't know she was a dozen feet right above his head.

"And I was supposed to call them in an hour. No way in hell I'll make it in time" he mumbled, making the motions of looking around. She shimmied back to snag her jacket, sliding it on in one smooth motion. Whatever noise it made was lost in the breeze.

When she checked Mao again he continued to glance around and mutter. He sighed and started to leave, but stopped. He walked cautiously to the edge of her tree's radius, looking at something on the ground. From above she couldn't see his expression. He bent his knees down, coming to a crouch. Then he extended his arm and plucked something from the grass. With a start she realized it was her apple core.

Black Rock Shooter came to the conclusion that there was no more reason to hide, so she subsequently abandoned her cover. She crouched low and moved quickly to the end of the branch. Unlike before, she neither slowed down or stopped. When she felt the support giving away she fell to the side, putting herself into a flip. The fall was only a dozen feet, nothing to be concerned about.

Mao heard the leaves rustling above him, but he initially dismissed it as the wind. When it suddenly intensified he got worried in a flash, and looked up. The girl slammed into the ground with a concussive thump barely two feet from him.

"Haah!" he cried out, spilling backwards in fright. Impulsively he kicked his legs to back away, getting quite a distance before reason reasserted itself.

He breathed heavily as she stood up and looked at him with a puzzled expression. Five more breaths followed before he sputtered out a sigh and dropped his head into his palm.

"Don't, don't" he exhaled again in defeat "don't do that again" Mao said quietly. Eyes closed, he moved his hand from his face and planted it on the ground to steady himself while he stood up, while the girl cocked her head to the side in confusion.

"Right. Koko called a meeting at the pillbox" their pet name for the firing range's pavilion "and she wants everyone there. And well, short stick" he admitted with a shrug. Seeing the blank stare he decided to leave that alone.

"So, lets go?" he invited cautiously. As always, she said nothing in response. Or did anything else. He knew she knew exactly where it was, so the only logical possibility was that she was waiting on him. He did some mental calculations and didn't like them. So instead, he went with another route.

"She brought treats" he said simply. Her gaze had wandered in the few seconds, but it instantly locked onto him.

"I think she said sherbet" he went on, making the girl cock her head to the side questionably "Oh right. Sherbet is like ice cream, but made with fruit juice. Its really good" he lied. Her eyes practically glowed with anticipation.

"Everyone else is there too. If you don't get there in time..." Mao left hanging. His ploy worked; almost too fast to see she turned and dashed away, inhumanly fast. He chuckled at his deviousness before he realized two things. First, she would reach the place in a minute at most, meaning he would be last. Second, she would discover there was no treat waiting. He recalled the shootout with the mercenaries in Africa, and bolted off as fast as he could.

She ran with wild abandon. Trees, shrubs, puddles, she flew by all if it, nothing slowing her down. Half of Black Rock Shooter's mind was focused on the obstacle course that was the property, which despite being rough posed little issue. She hardly minded that she was running faster than Tojo's tests in the beginning (where she had held back), incidentally breaking a world record in the process. Even less of her cared, since the other half of her mind was fixated on the prospects ahead.

A while ago she had tried fruit juice, and liked it. Not long after that she had tried ice cream, and although her head had felt like it was going to burst afterwards, she enjoyed it a great deal in spite of that. Combining the two was something that had never occurred to her. Her mouth was beginning to salivate at the idea.

The back wall of the pillbox loomed before her, approaching fast. She didn't slow down, instead she jumped atop a convenient low hanging tree trunk and ran to its edge. Using it as a springboard she leaped, clearing the ten feet to the next tree, where she repeated the process. Beyond that was the sloped metal roof. It was slippery, too smooth to dash across without incident, as she discovered too late. A foot from the edge her boot slid, and she half fell over the other side. Fortunately her hand grabbed the edge of the roof to correct her fall, allowing her to flip and land on her feet.

Black Rock Shooter's boots slammed into the ground, similar to Mao just a couple of minutes earlier. She let her legs bow with the impact to absorb her momentum, diffusing it with a flutter of her jacket. At once she turned to the shaded interior, and the stunned looks of everyone inside.

"Uh, hi there" Wiley hesitantly said, as the closest.

She nodded perfunctorily and scanned the inside. Only a couple of tables were under the pavilion, each one had a few guns placed upon them. Worry wracked her features as she gave a quick inspection of everyone there. She saw no sign of anything that looked like food. She turned to Koko, who had risen from her chair and approached her.

"You look like your puppies missing. Whats the matter?" she asked bemusedly. She wore a white skirt and a brown sweater, in addition to her ever present smile. Black Rock Shooter gestured around the group and threw her arms up, drawing everyone's attention.

"Everyones here except Mao. Koko sent him out to fetch you" Valmet supplied, leaving a rifle alone as she stood up.

"Is Mao hurt?" Lutz asked, doing the same.

She scowled and waved her arms around the area again. Lehm chuckled as he leaned against the wall. Everyone circled the girl to see what the problem was, except Jonah. He had his sidearm disassembled and was busy cleaning it, ignoring everyone else. She grew furious at their inability to understand.

"Okay, lets get this organized. Is Mao alright?" Koko said. The girl sent a harsh look at her before nodding testily.

"Maybe someones supposed to be here that isn't?" Ugo offered.

"Or something" Tojo piped in.

The girl clenched her eyes shut and let her head fall. A sound that approximated an exasperated sigh escaped her mouth. Several of the eclectic group exchanged worried looks, wondering just what could be making their odd companion upset. Their individual trains of thought were stopped by the sound of breaking underbrush, followed by a wheezing scratched up Mao rushing around the corner, getting a similar reception.

"Hey guys Rocks on her way here we need to oh shit" he sputtered, frozen in his tracks. Fifteen eyes swiveled from him to the girl. She stared at him with a narrowing gaze, her sword materializing in her hand.

"Oh kay, how about we just calm down" Ugo said as he deftly inserted himself between the two "and we take a nice deep breath" he breathed in deep as an example. Black Rock Shooter still glared, but she dissipated her sword. He took that as a good sign.

"So, whats the matter?" Koko turned to Mao. He nervously scratched the back of his head.

"I, em, said there would be sherbet" he admitted. A few awkward moments passed before any of them made a sound, Valmet being the one breaking the silence by smothering a laugh.

"She was upset since there wasn't any-any" she couldn't finish her sentence. Everyone who was spectating began sniggering as well, even Koko joined in. Mao scowled.

"Its not funny" he scowled.

"Oh yes it is" Lehm laughed.

Koko laughed for a moment, until she noticed the pale girl glaring at her. It took her a few seconds to get herself back under control. Once she felt reasonably back to normal, she turned to the boy's direction, noting that he was still busy with the gun. Only at first glance though, if the twitching corners of his mouth were any indication.

"Jonah, time for the package" she announced.

He put down what he was doing and reached to the ground by his side, grabbing something. The girl flicked her eyes around, noticing some shifting smiles. Blank faced, he walked over to the two with a small black bag in hand. Wordlessly he handed it to Koko, and stayed put by a discreet gesture by the white haired woman. Black Rock Shooter tilted her head to the side as she opened the top and rooted inside for a second before producing a small leather object and some papers, which she presented to her.

"Ta-dah, heres some gifts" she said beamingly. The girl took the proffered items, turning the objects over in her hand. The numerous papers were covered in small black print, full of information she neither understood nor cared for. She examined the object, discovering it was folded. It had several pieces of plastic and papers inside, including a strange one on display. In the corner of the plastic was a picture of her...but different.

"Some falsified ID, several hundred american dollars in cash, a few passports, and the info to a swiss bank account with all your earnings" she explained. The girl held the leather package apart from the rest, eyeing the false picture of herself.

"Thats that ID we used at the airport getting into the country. Hopefully in the future you'll have an easier time than Jonah" Koko explained again. She nodded, recalling last occasion.

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Six days earlier...

The british customs official glanced at the card. Then back to the girl. Back at the card. And the girl again.

"Miss Sauders?" he asked at last. The dead faced pale skinned girl in the bizarre clothes in front of his desk holding her sign rigidly, hardly moving, nodded in acknowledgment. He felt an uncomfortable shiver crawl up his spine.

"What seems to be the problem?" asked the similarly pale woman standing beside her. She wore a white business suit and had both arms akimbo. He wouldn't admit it, but he found her constant smile almost as creepy as the girl.

"I'm afraid your niece is going to be detained for a security check" he said carefully, knowing how people tended to react to that. She surprised him however. Instead, she lazily walked closer to his station, where she dropped her voice down several octaves. Blake Rocca Sauders watched her with interest, along with several of the dangerous looking men behind her.

"You and I both know thats a waste of time" she said smoothly.

"Still, there are procedures..." he tried to explain.

"Give me one reason why" she declared confidently.

"Her outfit?" he started with the obvious.

"Its called Gothic Lolita. Its all the rage in japan" she seamlessly countered.

"She could be carrying weapons."

"Checked in Pretoria and patted down earlier. Besides, where would she be carrying any?" he thought he heard someone behind her snort.

"She's unusually pale."

"Doesn't get out much. Had to drag her out of her room for this trip."

"Hasn't spoken a word."

"Accident when she was young." He went for his last card.

"The two scars on her torso?" he gestured to the girl. She had dropped the small paper sign that said 'hello I am Blake Sauders I am Mute" to her side and was staring around. At their angle, they could both see the long stitched scars on both of her sides. She leaned in closer, cupping one hand around her mouth conspiratorially.

"Part of that accident. She doesn't like people pointing it out" she whispered. She backed up a foot and smiled. The official wracked his brain, but couldn't find anymore good reason. He sighed.

"I did approve those five jap kids yesterday" he murmured.

"Well?" she asked pointedly. He sighed again and gave her papers the 'clear' stamp, just in time for a metal detector nearby to start going off.

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"I'll keep ahold of your documents. Whenever you want to see them or want some of your hard earned cash, just ask me" Koko explained. Rock nodded and held the wad of things back to her. She took everything but the folded item, which she insistently pushed back.

"Keep the wallet" she insisted. The girl gave the small thing a once over before shrugging and stuffing into one of her coat pockets (noting it was the first time she'd used them).

"Kay, next, the special gift" Koko said, her emphasis not going unnoticed. She reached back into the bag and pulled out something that she concealed from view. Rock saw that everyone seemed to lean in, except for Tojo. His growing smirk set off alarms in her head, but she couldn't act on them at the moment. The white haired woman threw an arm out with its outstretched palm. Cradled in her palm was a small grey box.

Hesitantly, Black Rock Shooter reached out and took it, making sure she didn't touch her skin. The box shook with something inside, piquing her curiosity. She looked back up at Koko, who merely gestured at the box. After examining it for a moment, she found that the top came off. The anticipation ate into the small group as she finally slid the top off and beheld what was inside.

She lifted the small black device out and looked at Koko with a raised eyebrow.

"Its a smartphone" Lutz commented. Koko's smile grew a few degrees.

"Exactly. In this business communication is important, and since you can't talk, we needed a good workaround. Charades can only go so far after all. Look at what just happened" she gestured around "we had no idea what it was you wanted. If lives were on the line, we'd be in deep shit" she explained.

The girl turned the small device over in her hand, examining it in detail. Possibilities hitherto unconsidered filtered through her mind at the thought of the thing. Holding it, she could communicate with the humans almost optimally. Being able to get her point across without resorting to the ridiculous act sounded like a good idea to her. A faint smile ghosted her lips.

"Give it a try" Koko suggested.

Black Rock Shooter stared uncomprehendingly at her. Seeing the woman gesture at her again, she decided to press on. She turned the phone over on her hands, looking for...something. Anything that could make the thing function. Feeling along the rim she felt several protrusions, but nothing obvious. After watching the girl fumble with the phone for a full minute Koko cleared her throat.

"On second thought, Lutz'll teach you later" she said. The girl looked back to her with a look similar to gratitude. Lutz groaned.

"Okay, last item" she turned to the group to speak, bringing out several questioning looks on the process.

"I know I said we were going to have a few weeks of R and R, but..." Koko stopped as a round of groans went through the group, Valmet and Jonah notwithstanding (for noise anyway, the former's features dropped).

"Quiet, I wasn't finished" she ordered. At once they did, though the disappointed looks remained. Rock wondered how she did that.

"But, fortunately for us its really simple. In a few days there's going to be a conference in London discussing the modernization of Country A's and Country B's air forces, UAVs in particular. Usual civilized approach" Koko explained.

"Non war zone stuff?" Lehm asked.

"Thats right. We're not going into a gunfight this time, just cart me around and look tough" she finished. Though signs of the weariness remained, they perked up considerably. Not quite enthusiastic, but no longer as down.

"And thats the meeting. Now" she spun around to Mao, who froze in fright. The groups attention shifted accordingly.

"You made a false promise to this poor poor girl" she stepped sideways to the girl, going behind her to wrap her arms around her "that there'd be some sherbet ice cream. Now you have to pay the price" she said dangerously. Koko could feel the hostility radiating off of the girl at the unwelcome contact, so she wisely retracted everything that was touching. She had the feeling a quick lead filled death wasn't enough deterrent to stop her from removing a limb or two if she kept ahold.

"Well, I, um-" Mao sputtered, looking ready to run. Not that he'd get far.

"Was going to ask you why you did that, its not like you" Wiley observed.

"Yeah Mao, what gives?" Ugo asked. The man fretted in place, trying to put his explanation into words. Finally he sighed and dropped his head. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, clicking a button to flash the screen.

"I was supposed to Skype in forty five minutes" Mao shyly admitted. Koko raised an eyebrow.

"Skype? With wh-" she stopped mid sentence, her eyes going wide in understanding. Black Rock Shooter glanced around and noted everyone doing the same, with the sole exception of Jonah. The two youngest members were the only ones not understanding.

"Riiiight, sorry, forgot entirely. Okay then, you have the next three hours off" Koko announced, her smile returning. Mao too smiled in relief.

"Thanks Koko-"

"When you're back on its punishment time" she interrupted, causing a ripple of evil smirks. Mao's expression froze in place as blatantly false cheer.

"Thanks a lot" he said through clenched teeth. She waved him away, and he quietly (that they could hear) bade a farewell.

"Now then, any questions?" Koko asked the group once he was out of hearing range. Several of them looked at one another and shrugged. Only the boy raised his arm.

"Jonah" she acknowledged.

"What was the problem with Mao?" he asked bluntly.

"He went to go chat with his family. Last I checked its about midnight over there" she answered. He raised an eyebrow, making several of the men chuckle.

"What, thought all of us were loners?" Lehm posed. Jonah took a moment to ponder the implications of the statement, gazing away in the process. Koko felt a poke in her midsection, finding out with no surprise it was the girl, looking at her curiously.

"Im going to guess you don't know what a family is" she ventured. Rock nodded.

"Thats a long and complicated explanation that I'm going to pass on. Once Lutz teaches you how to use the phone he'll explain" she answered, prompting the man in question to go "oh c'mon!"

"Anything else?" she asked them again. This time no one responded.

"Alright then. The conference is in two days, so rest up" Koko ordered. On cue, they chorused "kay."

The pale boss turned on her heels and strode away. She wasn't around the corner yet when she heard Tojo speak.

"Hey Rock, got a minute?" She stopped mid step, twisting her torso around and wondering if she did just hear that.

"I wanna try something. You game?" he asked. Koko turned around and walked carefully back the way she came, attempting to hear.

"Oh this is gonna be good" she heard Ugo comment.

"No kidding" Wiley agreed, tantalizingly out of sight.

What are they talking about? she wondered. A scant few seconds later she received the answer.

"Can I try shooting that cannon?" Tojo implored. She blinked in surprise as sniggering echoed.

"Get your damn minds out of the gutter" Valmet admonished.

"Sorry man, you walked right into that" Ugo joked.

Koko walked around the corner to the pillbox, wearing a questioning look. The group quickly realized her presence, and made a show of straightening up to face her. She flicked her eyes over and saw that Jonah was still occupied with cleaning his gun, the FNC to be exact. The girl faced her with an expression she hoped didn't mean "save me."

"Hey boss, guess what" Lehm prodded, making Tojo send a scowl his way.

"I heard. And I'm a little peeved you were planning to do it without me. Shame on you" she said, putting her trademark smile back on. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Valmet blush. She wasn't sure why, she didn't say anything dirty.

"Um, kay how about we get started. Wiley, the camera" Tojo turned to speak. The man in question pulled something out of his carrying bag and walked over, flicking it open. Koko realized it was a small video camera.

"Ready when you are" he reported. Tojo nodded, moving to the side to put both he and the girl in the same shot, leaving the latter look at them both questionably. The large black man pressed a button, making a small red light flick on. One hand came off the camera and extended a thumb.

"Right. Im Akihiko Tojo, and this is Black Rock Shooter" he said, gesturing to the girl. She sent a confused look at both of them.

"Manning the camera is William Nelson, A.K.A. Wiley" the man flipped the camera up to give a brief smile before turning back to Tojo, who was waving his arm around the space.

"And acting as witnesses to this experiment are-" he started to list names before Lehm interrupted.

"We get the picture, on with it" he said abruptly. Tojo huffed while Wiley suppressed a snicker.

"Fine fine. Alright, from previous testing we have a rough idea what shes capable of, but while we were in Africa she demonstrated abilities beyond our, and by that I mean my, expectations. For instance, while pinned down by enemy gunfire she manifested an entirely different ranged weapon than what we've encountered before" he narrated to the camera.

"Yeah, that thing was like a minigun. Crazy shit" R added.

"What he said. If the normal cannon is like a carbine, than that was like a light machine gun. I'd ask why she never said anything about it, but, well" he gestured at the girl, who was still in the dark.

"Kinda sad I missed that" Ugo said wistfully.

"You shoulda been there, Lutz got a bullet to the ass" Valmet joked, making the blonde man scowl at her.

"Moving on. Today, I plan to test if a human being can use her weapons. The sword would probably be easier, but as a basic melee tool its not really an indicator. Besides, no one here knows how to use one" Tojo continued.

"Betcha I can use it" Valmet boasted.

"Tojo, just get to the point already" Koko snapped, making him wince.

"Okay okay, jeez. Rock?" he said to the girl. Wiley moved the camera closer as she sent a questioning look at Tojo.

"Bust out the cannon" he said. Black Rock Shooter hesitated for a few seconds before she stuck her fist out. The lens of the camera traced the expanding lights that traveled down her arm, creating metal out of thin air.

"As you can see, shes creating a weapon out of thin air. Needless to say this violates several laws of physics. How she does this is completely unknown, and unless we can find a team of trustworthy scientists who won't blab, its unlikely we'll ever find out" Tojo narrated during the process. She swung the cannon around, pointing it down the range. Wiley wisely backed up a few feet.

"Now that thats done, can I give it a try?" he asked, as politely as possible.

She appeared to mull over the idea, giving the idea more consideration. Finally she exhaled. She brought her free hand up to the end of the cannon, where it connected to her arm. A curved piece if metal was pressed against her arm from halfway up her forearm, encasing her hand. She touched something on it, making the chunk *click*. Then, while they watched, the casing gave away, exposing her lower arm. Both men leaned over her to see.

Inside, a small bar went under her arm, going past her wrist. The bar led to a strange looking, but still recognizable pistol grip, which her hand was wrapped around. She let go and slid it out, revealing a normal looking trigger, minus a guard. Her free hand was holding on underneath, and the gun hand took a spot farther up. Black Rock Shooter turned to Tojo and held it out.

"Oh. Okay...here goes nothing" he murmured. Tentatively he out, grabbing ahold of the bottom. Once he seemed to have a good grip her hands fell away, leaving the otherworldly weapon in the human's hands.

"Details" Wiley gently prodded. Tojo lifted the cannon up and down, testing its weight.

"A lot lighter than I expected it to be. I'd say four kilos, give or take" he explained.

"And composition?" the black bodyguard continued, ignoring the cautious but maddeningly curious group approaching closer, trying to see better. Strangely the girl seemed nonchalant.

"Feels metallic, but a little glossy. Kinda like pencil lead to be honest" Tojo reported, feeling along the side of the weapon. He would've continued if Koko hadn't nosily cleared her throat.

"I can understand why you're nerding out, but we kinda want to see some testing" she gently ordered. Both men looked at her sheepishly.

"Ookay...um, onto testing" Tojo said uncertainly.

He ceased pawing the weapon and returned to the matter at hand. With one hand underneath as support, he carefully slid his hand into the firing mechanism. Immediately he frowned.

"Whats the matter" Wiley questioned.

"This things tiny. Makes sense though, since its built for her hands. I'm having a little trouble squeezing in...there" he said in relief. A large smile taking hold, he turned the end of the weapon downrange, getting ready to shoot.

"Okay, take one. Preparing to fire in three" at once the anticipation in the small area increased severalfold.

"two" Jonah quietly left the gun alone to lean over.

"One-" *snap*

Tojo's expression froze in place. Along with everyone else in the vicinity.

*crack* the end of the barrel began vibrating from the man's trembling hands.

"I, um, seem to be having some technical d-difficulties" he said breathlessly.

*crack* the end dipped down, from Tojo's supporting hand breaking through the underside. He yelped and dropped it, yanking his hand away. The tight hold kept it latched to his arm for a crucial second before sliding off. The one of a kind cannon flew off his hand towards the wall. Koko and Valmet frantically dodged out of the way. It fell short by several feet, sliding for a few inches before coming to a rest.

The entire group (minus one) watched the thing in wonder. Before their eyes the cannon was breaking down. It was as if it was rusting away, but at a lightning pace. The metal crumpled and disintegrated, falling in on itself into smaller and smaller pieces. It went on until there was little more than a shrinking pile of dust. A few paralyzing seconds passed before a convenient wind blew, gently scattering the remains into oblivion. Wiley relentlessly recorded the entire event.

"Shit" Tojo whimpered. His fave frozen in a rictus of horror, he turned agonizingly slowly to the girl. Shocked eyes from everyone turned as well.

"I-I-I-" he sputtered. Her weapon was gone, lost forever. And he was to blame.

Black Rock Shooter shared impassively at him. Her expression was unreadable as she raised her hand, clenching it into a fist. Tojo clenched his eyes shut, fully expecting to get run through. His breath came in ragged bursts, unable to keep his terror under control. Flashing lights raced down her arm, assembling into a weapon. In seconds it was formed. After several seconds of not dying, he squinted.

A perfect replica of the cannon was in her hands.

"Oh" Wiley grunted in surprise. Lehm walked up to the girl, giving the cannon an appraising eye.

"I think I get it. If its not held by you, the thing disintegrates. Excellent safety feature" he calmly praised. Lutz and Valmet thoughtfully nodded.

"So its sorta like a crysknife" Ugo added. Several questioning eyes were turned his way.

"What? Just because I'm a wheelman doesn't mean I can't read" he replied indignantly.

"Alright" Koko swiftly crossed the room and put herself in front of the girl, bending over and planting her palms on her shoulders. She bristled at the contact.

"You're not mad that Tojo broke your gun, are you?" she asked pointedly, making the man jump. The girl shook her head.

"Fantastic" Koko let go and stood up, discreetly sighing. She glanced at her wrist, a hint of a genuine smile on her features.

"Its close to noon. How about we go get you some ice cream" she offered. Black Rock Shooter's eyes brightened up immediately, making everyone but Tojo sighed in relief, even Jonah. He couldn't because behind her he collapsed into unconsciousness.

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Two days later...

Staring out the window, Jonah languidly watched the mass of people pass by. The even road combo'd with Ugo's careful driving made the trip as smooth as possible. It also meant that there was nothing he could really do to distract himself from the crushing boredom. Lutz called it guard dog duty; a pleasant change of pace from the shootouts of late, but incredibly boring.

He glanced away from the window to see a pair of pale legs idly bouncing twitching to some unknown tune. Looking down he saw Black Rock Shooter's face staring at the ceiling with nonexistent care. Her head was lying on the floorboard while her boots tapped against the roof. No matter what Ugo threatened her with she ignored him. She glanced at him, making him look away. He sent a unobtrusive look to the last occupant, Valmet.

The SUV pulled to a stop, making the car behind them do the same. A few dozen feet away the embassy to country B loomed, a multi-storied yellow building. Rock's feet stopped tapping.

"Alright kids, showtime" Koko announced. Jonah and Valmet wordlessly exited in time with Ugo and Koko. Black Rock Shooter slid out a few seconds later, coming to her feet in one motion. Nearby he heard Lehm snort.

"So Koko, whats the plan?" Valmet asked, idly straightening out her shirt. With the sole exception of the girl, everyone had a good outfit on, though in Jonah's case it was merely a clean white shirt and khakis.

"You and Tojo are with me. Everyone else wait out here. Shouldn't take more than forty five minutes or so" she answered.

"Fine with me" Lehm announced. He reached into a pocket and procured a pack of gum. He gave it an uncertain look before pulling out a piece.

Tojo nodded and walked over, taking great care to keep as much distance between him and the girl as possible. Once she figured out how to use the phone she made it clear there was no hard feelings, but he was still leery. With the ex-major and the ex-JSDF flanking her, Koko strolled towards the entrance of the building. The guards patrolling the grounds glared at her, but one flash of an ID card and they let her pass.

She was about to take the first step up the stairs when a ring came from her pocket. Koko stopped, briefly catching both bodyguards by surprise. They stopped a couple of steps ahead of her and looked back questioningly. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her satellite phone, revealing it as the culprit.

"Who could be calling now?" Valmet asked.

"Lets find out" Koko answered, clicking the call button and putting the bulky device to her ear.

"Hello? Yes, this Miss Hekmatyr. You dialed me, so why would you ask? Yes. Yes" her brow scrunched up "interesting, I'll get on it once I-wait, what?" she demanded sharply, a scowl overtaking her features. Both man and woman exchanged worried looks.

"You have got to be kidding me. I am literally standing at the front entrance of the conference, the UAV conference you dolt! Why cant you get Rossvky or Darkwood on this? Oh both busy? My ass" she snarled. From the cars Lehm detached himself and walked over, making one of the guards throw his hands in the air in frustration.

"Get Kaspar on it-hold up, vacation?! He's the one who-" she stopped mid sentence, her eyes going wide. Her hand holding the phone began to tremble.

Of course, she realized.

"There's no one else, and and it needs to be sold in under a week" she said coldly. Tojo and Valmet blanched.

"I...understand. I'll do my best" she hissed through clenched teeth. She removed the phone from her ear and clicked off. The callused hand that touched her shoulder almost made her jump.

"Whats the matter Koko?" Lehm asked humorlessly. She turned and forced a smile.

"That was corporate. They just bought a thousand units of experimental hardware and need it sold by the end of the week" she answered calmly. It was completely unconvincing.

"I see" he murmured.

"Why would they do that? We made it clear the UAV conference is our gig. No way they wouldn't know it" Tojo thought aloud. Koko chuckled mirthlessly.

"Oh I know. I know that all too well. And I know exactly who's responsible for this" Koko said dangerously.

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Nine time zones away, Kaspar felt a cold shiver crawl up his spine.

"I think she found out" he murmured, drawing a strange look from Poe.

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"Just worry about the conference right now. Once thats in the bag then we'll get on it. Okay?" Lehm assured. Koko stood up straight and fixed an errant wrinkle on her suit.

"Yeah, not like theres anyone there that can beat me at my own game" she replied. Tojo and Valmet offered small smiles, which she returned. Together (and the latter offering a steadying hand) they ascended the stairs. Lehm watched her go, making sure she was alright. He didn't want her to know he was just as concerned as she was. Shaking his head, he dismissed the thought and turned around to return to the others.

In the couple of minutes he left they had all exited the two cars and were milling around. A few passing pedestrians gave the group strange looks but otherwise ignored them. He strolled up to them, intending to relay the news.

"What happened?" Mao asked.

"Some jackass from the company slammed her with another job" he reported dully. A couple of groans came out, but far fewer than he expected.

"Just the same thing right?" Lutz asked.

"Thats right. The little lady is going to be one busy-hold on" Lehm stopped mid sentence. He swept his head around, searching fir something and confusing the men.

"Wheres the girl?" he asked sharply. The men glanced around in confusion. Once the realization hit, their eyes went wide. The only one that kept his composure was Jonah.

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One minute earlier...

Utterly bored, Black Rock Shooter let her eyes wander. Lehm walked off after Koko for something. Since it wasn't affecting her, she didn't care about it. She saw that the group was becoming occupied with other things, much of it to do with their phones, but that too had no bearing on her station. Letting her head fall back, she gazed into the blue sky.

A strange sound made her whip her head around. It wasn't human, nor mechanical. She listened intently, trying to locate it. After several seconds she heard it again, though more drawn out. She walked after it, taking her away from the group. None of them seemed to notice. She came to a stop by an alleyway, where she heard the noise last. Down the darkened and debris strewn way she saw nothing. She cocked her head to the side in confusion.

"Hey there little lady" greeted a cockney accented voice. She turned around, the speaker startling her. When she saw its source she relaxed a minute degree. It was a man in a dark hoodie and jeans, along with a short scruffy beard. Initially Black Rock Shooter was wary, but after a few seconds of observation she concluded he was unarmed save for a short knife in his pocket.

"Say lass, you look a little thin. Do you want something to eat?" he asked friendly. Unused to human ways, the vibe he was exuding went unnoticed. She shook her head and went to walk away when he added "I have candy" making her stop in place. She swiveled her head around, giving him another appraising look.

"Lots of candy. Its in my van, over this way" he gestured. She bounded after him, a smile taking hold.

He led her to a plain looking white van a hundred feet away. The man kept giving her a strange look, with hard eyes but a twisted smile. Black Rock Shooter ignored it however. Mental pictures of vast amounts of sweets danced in her eyes, making her disregard the usual warning signs. Once they were there, he pulled the back door of the vehicle open, revealing a yawning black cave.

"Right in here lassie" he said enthusiastically. Rock saw the silhouette of another man inside, making her flare in anger. Evidently someone beat her to the candy, taking who knew how much. She leaped inside with no prompting to grab whatever was left. The man slammed the door shut behind her and ran to the drivers side. The van roared to life seconds later, and it peeled off into the sparse street.

A/N: To those who questioned why Koko hasn't studied Black Rock Shooter's weapons, you have your answer. Also, the omake will have to wait, not really feeling the words, you know?