"Mekanikku!" Her younger brother ran down an elegant hall, filled with statues and pictures, towards her, holding a small, red, hard candy. "Guess what Daddy gave me!"
"He gave you a Pull-it?" Mekanikku asked, quite younger. About eight years old by this time.
"Yeah! He's got more too!" her brother exclaimed, putting the small candy in his mouth.
"I want some!" Mekanikku cried as she blasted past her brother, tinkering with a small clock as she ran past the statues. She ran down the marbled stone stairs quickly, resisting the urge to just slide on the banister. Mother had told her time and time again not to do it. Only now did it seem to be sinking in. Probably after Kai tried sliding down it snowboard style... and ended up in the hospital. Needless to say, it was not a pretty sight.
At the second level, she ran across the polished wooden floor, her bare feet making little noise. She glanced down over the railing of the last set of stairs and stopped suddenly.
Her father and mother were embracing each other, their faces downcast. Her mother, a tall and beautiful woman wearing a pink dress, shivered slightly as a sob broke from her throat. Mekanikku took a step back, unaware of her grip on the clock.
She squeaked as she heard the first clank and reached out to grab the clock as it bounded down the stairs, small parts springing out everywhere with each impact. It stopped descending as the stairs took a turn, clattering against the wall and spinning a little on the hard stone. She crouched next to it and picked it up in her hands, looking at the empty interior. She looked down the stairs at her parents, small tears forming in her eyes.
"I-I didn't mean t-to d-drop it," she said quietly, sniffling as she wiped away tears.
"Mekanikku," her father said gently, kneeling next to her and holding her gently. "It doesn't matter. You can fix it. I know you can, but..." He reached into his pocket and pulled out another candy. "Do you want this?"
"Yes, please," Mekanikku said as she nodded, reaching out a slim hand towards it. Her father placed it in her hands, smiling sadly.
"Mekanikku," her father repeated, "Your mother and I have something we have to talk about at dinner time."
Mekanikku tilted her head to the side with a confused expression. What was happening? Why were they so sad? Slowly, she said, "O...kay..." She raised an eyebrow, hoping for more answers. Her father shook his head and stood up, looming over her.
"I'll explain it at the dinner table," he said.
The warmth of sheets soothed her as she rolled over onto her side, but they were slightly wet. She rolled over again, opening her eyes slightly. "What time is it?" she mumbled out loud, rubbing her eyes and moving her feet over the edge of the bed and sitting straight up. She looked around her and relaxed slightly. She was in her own room at Protoman's lair. She tugged at her brown jacket which was still on herand stood up, looking around again. Was it five o' clock? That was her typical time of getting up ever since her and her family had moved out to the smaller house. She looked around and grabbed her bag as it rested on the door handle and rummaged around in it until her fingers grasped onto a wooden object. She pulled it out and smiled as the old familiar clock greeted her eyes. Its wood frame wasn't polished anymore due to the effects of time, and it ticked erratically. It'd take a little more time to repair it, but it'd get there.
She opened her door silently, not sure if anyone else would be awake at this time of night, grabbing her bag as she left the room. Samui had probably carried her into her room instead of waking her up. Probably a good thing since she was normally mad at whoever woke her up when she was really tired.
She walked into the main hall and analyzed the doors that she walked past. Most of them were bedroom compartments, but a few of them were repair labs. She stopped in front of a room that was titled "Navigation" and looked over the door for a while. She looked down either side of her for any signs of anyone coming towards her. No one appeared to be coming, so she looked back at the door and gripped the handle firmly before quickly turning it and silently stepping inside, closing the door behind her.
"Oh," a voice said, startling Mekanikku into pressing her back against the door. She was slightly relieved when she realized it was just Iris. "Hey Mekanikku. What can I do for you?" Mekanikku looked at the various screens that sat around the room, some mounted on the walls. There was even a whole desk dedicated to operating equipment around the base.
"Well..." Mekanikku began hesitantly, "Is there any way that I can access the roof?" She paused, setting her finger on her chin thoughtfully, and added, "Also, what time is it?"
"The time?" Iris asked. She looked back at one of the screens and said, "It's five fifteen." Mekanikku smiled to herself. Almost right on time. "Now... as for that map." Iris looked closely at one screen, pushing the screen at certain points. She withdrew a little and motioned for Mekanikku to come. "Okay, so there's an elevator by the training arena," Iris said as Mekanikku drew close, "an elevator by the lab, and an elevator in Zero's room. Not recommended that you go into his room though."
Mekanikku studied the map with a scrutinizing look for a while before standing erect and nodding. She looked down at Iris and blushed. "One more question?"
"Sure!" Iris said, smiling.
"How did you, Zero, and everyone else survive to this period of time?" Mekanikku asked.
Iris's smiling face faded away and she tugged at her skirt nervously. "Well, um, I don't know... if I can tell you that..." Mekanikku tilted her head to the side and crouched so that she could look at Iris without having to look down at her.
"Why not?" Mekanikku asked.
"Protoman's secretive," Iris explained quickly. "I don't think he'd want anyone to know how us reploids survived."
"What about Bass? Can I know about him?" Mekanikku asked, barely leaving time for Iris to finish.
"I don't know," Iris said, looking away from Mekanikku's inquiring gaze and typing something on the computer. "You'd have to ask Protoman. He's the leader. I can't do anything without his approval." Mekanikku nodded and straightened.
"All right. I understand," Mekanikku said. She pointed to a particular spot on the map of the roof and said, "If you need me, I'll be right there."
"Okay," Iris said, putting on a headset. "I'll let anyone who asks know."
"Thank you," Mekanikku said as she left the room.
The cold steel pathway to the elevator was dimly lit by small lights in the ceiling and it rang quietly with each step that Mekanikku took. The elevator itself was a simple steel frame suspended by large cables with a few controls on the outside wall for getting to each floor. Mekanikku pressed the button for the top floor and stepped inside the elevator. The elevator rose through the shaft, lacking a door to close it off, using the interior of the walls to eliminate the chance of falling out.
Mekanikku looked down at the clock in her hand and nodded. The dream that she had that night was common to her. It appeared every other week or so, often disrupting her sleep. Those nights were often spent thinking about what had happened to the company. Nothing seemed to make sense except a case of robbery and slander. Most likely an operation done from the inside of the company.
She stepped out into the open and climbed up part of the roof that was diagonally slanted. She stopped and almost grinned.
"You're awake too?" Samui asked from a small steel box he was sitting on with his legs close up to him. "It's a little early to be up and about."
"Same could be said about you," Mekanikku said, smiling as she climbed onto the box. "What're you doing up here?" Samui chuckled and shook his head.
"I normally don't sleep," he said, his face saddening slightly. He sighed and continued, "I wish I could tell you everything, Mekanikku."
"Why don't you?" Mekanikku asked, half-teasingly. "After all, I havestarted complying with what you wanted, right?"
"It's a lot more complicated than that," Samui said while grimacing. "A lot of the information is dark and meant to be kept in the shadows. Technically, I shouldn't be teaching you anything unless I decided to adopt you into my clan."
Mekanikku shrugged. "Why don't you?"
"That's part of the reason why I'm up here," Samui said, his face resuming its normal concentrated stare as he watched the moon. "You've picked up quickly on what I've told you to do and you have your own tricks, but there's more consequences than you realize."
"Try me," Mekanikku said as she adjusted her position on the cold steel box, smiling playfully at him. She quickly frowned and winced once Samui groaned.
"It's not that simple!" Samui insisted, an edge coming into his tone. "There's lots of things at stake..." He groaned again and buried his head in his hands. "Why did I even bring you into this?"
"I'm..." Mekanikku began, hesitating slightly. "Still confused." Samui sighed and looked up at the sky.
"Remember how I told you about Ninjutsu? How it's powerful?" Samui asked quickly. Mekanikku nodded, confused. "That's because it's more than just a technique. It's an actual being of Shadow."
"What?" Mekanikku said, looking doubtfully at him.
"I know it sounds crazy, but that's what it is," Samui quickly said, his voice becoming frustrated.
Mekanikku sighed and looked down at her legs as they dangled over the edge of the box. What does he not want me to know? she thought. An actual being? Of shadow?
"Shadow," Samui repeated, startling Mekanikku out of her thoughts. "Not as a description, but a noun."
"H-how did you...?" Mekanikku asked, her eyes wide with fear. He can even read minds?
His head bowed and he looked away, shame seeming to cover him. "Ninjutsu knows the blackest memories, no matter how forgotten or how pushed away they are. It's a useful trait, but it borders the Dark Overdrive since it is a very intrusive power only known to those who master Ninjutsu."
"Then why'd you use it?" she asked.
"It's instinctual," Samui replied, flexing his left hand slightly. "I'm naturally curious. Once I knew about this power, I naturally used it a lot." He closed his eyes and shook his head. "Little did I know, but it was eating away my soul. The path of Ninjutsu is powerful, but corrupting. Power can corrupt. Absolute power corrupts absolutely."
"You've taken schooling?" Mekanikku asked, tilting her head ever so slightly. "My political science teacher said that."
"No," Samui said, shaking his head. "At least, not as far as you have, probably. I learned the basics of English, reading, writing, and refined and picked up other things along the way. My focus was Ninjutsu. Always has been."
Mekanikku nodded, turning her gaze back over the city.
Everything was quiet for now. Bass normally didn't make outright confrontations anymore, with the exception of attacking Darkman and her just two days ago. He used to do it in the past, but he stopped for some reason. It used to be a relief, but now it worried Mekanikku. Maybe he was formulating a plan or merely buying time for his Robot Masters to evolve more? Either option was scary.
"Sometimes I worry," Samui muttered under his breath, barely perceptible to Mekanikku's ears.
"Hmm?" Mekanikku said. "What? About what?"
"About Ninjutsu," Samui said, his voice still quiet, but not muttering anymore. "I know it's a being and must have some sort of power over the earth. I used to believe that it only affected those who went under its rule." He shook his head as Mekanikku looked at him questioningly. "Now that I've seen what it's done to you, I know I'm wrong."
"Wait, not being able to have power over the earth?" Mekanikku asked, confused by what he meant about being wrong. Samui nodded.
"When I joined Ninjutsu, I was required to make a clan symbol before I could progress in Ninjutsu."
"How come?" Mekanikku asked, but she already knew why. It was the creature. The only thing she did not understand was what exactly the Ninjutsu was.
Samui stayed quiet, not answering her question. He seemed to be deep in thought, so Mekanikku waited anxiously for his answer, a soft breeze shifting her hair around. "Well?" she asked.
"Protoman has an assignment for you today," Samui stated abruptly. "We better go down and meet him."
Mekanikku watched him with an inquisitive look and shook her head slowly. He was obviously trying to hide something. It only served to make chills run through her spine. She shivered. Samui watched her sympathetically and gently wrapped his ninja mask around her shoulders.
"We should go," he said, positioning his legs to stand up.
"Please, Samui?" Mekanikku pleaded. "I need to know."
Samui hesitated, but finally shook his head. He stood up and offered his hand to Mekanikku which she accepted.
"Someday," Samui said, helping her up.
"When?" Mekanikku asked. "Soon?"
There was barely a trace of pain in his face for a moment, quickly disappearing into a concerned expression. Mekanikku shifted her weight from one leg to the other uneasily, adjusting her belt. Whatever it was he didn't want her to know, it was obviously bad. It'd have to wait though. It was best to stay on this different side of Samui that she had found. He seemed a lot more concerned over her than usual. The only thing that was disturbing about it was the suddenness of the change. He wouldn't even smile for a while in the beginning. Now he seemed to be concerned about her...
All in one day.
Nothing about him even made sense anymore, – the change, the revelations that he had revealed to her– it was like a fairy tale. No one can change that fast, Mekanikku insisted in her mind.
Samui jumped down from the box and turned around, looking up at Mekanikku.
"Do you want help?" he asked.
"No, I'll be fine," Mekanikku said as she leapt down. She quickly recovered from her landing and adjusted her mechanic's pack. "I'm better than most girls." She blushed. It sounded so stupid now that she had said it. "Well, um, I mean..."
"It's fine, Mekanikku," Samui said, smiling ever so slightly as he waved it off. He turned and gently started to lead her towards the elevator was, – or should've been – which Mekanikku just noticed had disappeared from sight. She waited next to the spot where the elevator should've been as Samui contacted Iris through his headset.
As they waited, Mekanikku looked around at the rooftop. It seemed to be built haphazardly, without any designing in mind as to where it should slant and where it should end.
"Oh." Protoman's voice came from the elevator as it raised into view. "I've been looking for you."
"Sorry," Mekanikku said, scratching the back of her head. "I like to get up early. Five o'clock at the most."
"Don't worry about it. Iris told me where you were. Now if you had left without telling anyone, that's when I would've worried."
"Okay." Mekanikku looked around, frightened slightly. Was there something calling my name? The sound of the voice had chilled her because of its dark tone. What creeped her out even more was that there was nothing there.
Mekanikku!
She spun around quickly, startling Protoman and Samui.
"You okay, Mekanikku?" Protoman asked. "You seem a little jumpy."
"Huh?" Mekanikku said, turning back around quickly. Did they not hear it? Was this... thing – only hearable to her? "Um, yeah... I'm okay," she said as she tapped her submachine gun.
There was something out there. Something trying to get her attention. It felt too real to be a figment. There was a presence there and a voice, although the presence couldn't be seen. It was difficult to picture in her mind, but, judging from the voice, she could only see a creature draped in black clothing. Was it another ninja? Most likely not. Samui was probably the only real ninja out there.
Then it struck her.
Anaribi was his sister and he mentioned teaching her... Could she be following them again? She shoved the thought away. It was unlikely. Mostly because Mekanikku assumed that Anaribi would've attacked them by now, and the voice didn't seem to fit Anaribi's voice. It was much more masculine and was rasped slightly.
"You don't look okay," Protoman stated. Mekanikku jumped and barely resisted the instinctive urge to pick up the submachine gun and point it. "Do you need a doctor?"
"No. No, I'm okay," Mekanikku insisted, shoving the entire feeling away.
"Don't strain yourself, Mekanikku," Protoman said as he turned around and walked the few steps into the elevator. "Press the down button on your way in." Mekanikku looked around the place for one of the elevator controls. Either it was too dark, or there weren't any controls up here.
"I'm not seeing them," Mekanikku said.
"Oh... Yeah, they're underneath the ground," Protoman said, stepping back out of the elevator. "I might as well show you now." He crouched next to the elevator's position and ran his fingers around a particular area for a few seconds. Finally, he dug his fingers into the area and pried up a small plate with a few buttons underneath it. "Make sure to securely fasten the plate down once you press a button," Protoman said, pushing a button as he spoke.
He quickly jammed the plate back on and ran into the elevator, Mekanikku and Samui quickly picking it up and running in with him.
"So what's my mission?" Mekanikku asked as they made the descent down the building. Protoman shook his head slowly and chuckled.
"It's kinda funny in a way," he said quietly. "You know that building that we thought was attacked by Bass?" Mekanikku nodded slowly and uncertainly. "We think it was done from the inside."
"You mean a police officer did it?" Mekanikku asked. Her stomach twisted once Protoman nodded. "But why?"
Protoman shrugged. "We don't know. That's why we're sending you to find out."
"But why me?" Mekanikku asked as the elevator slowed down. "I'm a fighter, not a detective."
"It'll be a good experience," Protoman said, stepping out the door of the elevator. "Don't worry, one of our operatives will be there to help you."
"Who?" Mekanikku asked as she and Samui walked out into the darkened hallway that was untouched by the rising sun's rays.
"For one, Darkman," Protoman said. "And the other is someone named Shanai Roc. However, he's..." Protoman tilted his head back and forth for a brief moment. "A mercenary."
Great... Just what we always needed... Mekanikku thought. Mercenaries seemed to be a thing of the past, only to be used in Colonial times and before then. They were normally not used among the civilized countries in modern warfare. Apparently they were making a comeback.
She mentally shrugged to herself. It was probably more like gang warfare anyway, not like an actual war. That made more sense. Still though, she didn't trust mercenaries. You never knew when they'd turn against you, just because they got paid by someone else a heftier amount than the former employer.
Casually, Samui nudged her in the ribs. She quickly pushed his arm away and glared at him. Instead of getting angry himself, he merely raised an eyebrow at her that seemed to remind her to obey orders without disputation. She sighed as they moved into the only heavily lighted place, and that was the place where Protoman kept all of the vehicles for transportation around the city. Some of the vehicles were even taken apart, so it'd probably be fine to call it "the garage".
"We're not doing the mission now, are we?" Mekanikku asked as they entered.
"Not now," Protoman said cooly. "But soon. I'm unaccustomed to taking care of humans, but I sent one of our undercover agents to get some food."
A thought jumped to Mekanikku's mind and she rammed her words together as she said, "How did you live?" Although he had his helmet concealing most of his face, the slight deceleration in Protoman's pace informed her that he was not pleased with the question. "Maybe later?"
"Never," Protoman said, picking up his usual pace.
"What's wrong with me knowing?" Mekanikku asked, although with a slight sharpness in her tone.
"Too much information," Protoman said, waving her off, his speed increasing even more.
"But–," Mekanikku began. The firm grip on her shoulder made her instantly stop and bow her head. "Don't you get tired of not knowing things?" she groaned.
"Mmm, no," Samui replied. "That's because I know almost everything about this base and how it works and how Protoman and everyone managed to stay alive."
A faint glimmer shone in Mekanikku's eyes as she twisted her neck to look at Samui, although from a side-long view.
"Tell me?" she asked. As he shook his head again, she bowed her head, disappointed. It seemed like everyone knew what was going on except her. It makes sense... I guess, she admitted to herself. I've only been here for... what, a day and a half?
"Samui, follow me!" Protoman called out.
"Sorry," Samui said before quickly catching up to Protoman, fading away into another corridor.
She watched him go with her hand closed loosely on itself, almost touching her chest with it. The feelings of bitterness towards Samui rose back to the top and she found herself muttering curses at him.
"Easy there..." a calm voice said from behind her that chilled her. "No need to get angry, little girl."
"I am NOT a little girl!" she snapped, spinning around to face the voice while dropping into a semi-offensive, partially defensive stance. Her blood quickly chilled.
His height wasn't what scared her. She was fairly tall, though this guy was about one head and a half taller than her. His attire was what scared her. It was composed of contrasts, black and white for the most part. His black cloak concealed most of his facial features. There was a golden imprint on the edge of the hood that looked like two blades, one within the other, with two curved blades extending from it. He wore black pants made of a material not too far from soft jeans. They seemed to be made of the same material as Mekanikku's brown shorts, but she had never bothered to check what they were made of. Then, he wore a plain white shirt underneath the cloak. Only a brown belt around his waist broke the monotony of the colors.
The stranger chuckled, irritating Mekanikku again, but there was fear inside of her as well. Everything about him seemed... dark, hidden, mysterious, and threatening.
"Yes, yes, nice to meet you too," he said, walking closer to her. She seemed to be frozen in place, unable to move. He reached out his hand and she closed her eyes, not sure what else to do since her limbs weren't functioning.
It was slightly surprising to feel him rubbing her head, but mostly irritating. She stood up straight as he passed by and took off her cap, straightening out her hair as she threw a glare over her shoulder at him. So much for his first impression on her. This was probably the mercenary that Protoman was talking about.
"Are you.."
The man, roughly about nineteen years old from what she could see of his face, stopped and held up his hand, motioning for her to stop. "Yes, I'm the mercenary."
"How did you..." she started.
"Know?" the man interrupted again. "A lot of people ask me that question and it always begins with 'Are you'. Now, when you have some questions that are different, let me know." He then continued his walk down the corridor that Protoman and Samui went down.
She would've asked him more questions, but she was too frustrated at the moment. Her first impression of him wasn't a good one and then he didn't care if he interrupted her.
Jerk... she thought vehemently, anger searing her mind. So this guy was the person she had to work with? She groaned and covered her face with her hand. It was going to be a long day.
Wait... when did the mission start?
She looked around for the guy, but he wasn't anywhere. He had just disappeared down the hall. Did that mean that it wasn't time for the mission yet? Or is he a procrastinator? It didn't really matter. Her gun needed to be modified anyway.
She pulled her shotgun off of her back and placed her pouch on the ground beside her. She started taking the shotgun apart, knowing exactly how to form the essential parts of it. She had done modifications on it so many times that she could probably build one with her eyes closed.
"Maybe it should be more like a rifle this time?" she said. "What type of ammunition should it use?" Her voice faded away into a mutter as she reached down into her bag, forming a vocal picture of the gun.
She meticulously picked out certain parts and fitted them around the essential parts of the gun, giving each part a plastic or metal casing, depending on what part she attached. The butt of the rifle was covered with plastic since it'd provide more of a shock absorber when she fired. But, for the most part, it was composed of metal.
She paused. Where was that guy? In fact, where was Darkman?