Chapter 9: Extreme Edge

12:02 PM (Japan Time), Tuesday June the 7th…

"… Mwah, hah, hah, hah!"

"What's with that mood, Hinoken?"

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh!"

"Oi. Big boy. Explain."

"Nyah, hah, hah, hah, hah!"

"Trouble?"

Hinoken was laughing inside of the Maha Ichiban's storeroom: Count Elec, Iroaya Madoi and Maha Jarama stepped inside to try to find out what was going on: two Net Police detectives were looking on from the main room with suspicious faces.

"Do you think that…?" One asked.

"That he's gone mad? I'm not sure. Let's not take our eyes off that guy or else we'll get scolded by Commissioner Kifune."

"Hinoken – sama? Why are you… hum… ecstatic?" Fire Man asked with prudence.

"I've got a bad feeling about this. I really have." Elec Man grumbled and folded his arms.

"Madoi~… What's going on?" Colored Man asked.

"I do not know." Magic Man replied.

"You know WHAT?" He turned around, grinning.

"What?"

"You don't know, EH?"

"Know WHAT?"

"You DON'T know what's happened to ME?"

"No." They all replied.

"Ya won't believe it!"

"Try us."

"Heh, heh, heh. Are ya ready?" He teased.

"Just tell us!"

"I got THIS!"

He drew a piece of paper with the words "Great Luck" written on it: the whole group sighed out of exasperation.

"I'm going to get the lottery~! The Arson Lottery~!"

"A-Arson Lottery~?" They all asked in disbelief.

"A fella named Troll – F told me!"

"Troll – F?" They all wondered.

"That'd be me~…" A familiar voice giggled.

"Who?" They all asked.

They drew their PETs and looked at them: Forte had stepped into the Cyber World while bringing the cloak up to cover his jaw and mouth yet he had that amused glare to him.

"Ya are the one who made the big boy get cocky?" Madoi asked without being impressed.

"Yessir. Mistress."

"Well. Do as cha like. As long as the guy works…"

"Well! That wasn't a good idea, no!" Count Elec grumbled.

"Indeed it wasn't." Maha grumbled next.

"Trouble?" One of the detectives asked the other.

"Not sure anymore… Maybe we should contact our superior?"

"Guess we need to."

"Or else we'll get scolded…"

"And they'll swap your fedora and hat!" Forte laughed.

"HUH?" They looked like they didn't get the joke.

"Forte~… What's with the fedora and the hat?" Colored Man scratched his head.

"Worthless." Elec Man scoffed.

"Please…" Magic Man sighed.

"You lowlife…" Fire Man grumbled.

"Oho. Burning with arson passion?"

"Arson passion? Don't say that!"

"Oh yeah? What happened 3 years ago, in April?" Forte brought up with a grin.

"Huh! Well… Hum… T-that's… That was… Orders! Orders!" He tried to waltz outta it.

"Fire Man…" Elec Man directed a hostile glare at him.

"Oi! Hinoken – sama told me: "set fire to that oven!" so I obeyed! I obey Hinoken – sama's orders!" He protested.

"Hmpf. Well. I obey Count Elec's ones too." Elec Man folded his arms and looked like he didn't want Fire Man trying to use that as excuse.

"Don't we all have absolutely loyalty to our Operators?" Magic Man brought up as if proving it was a moot argument.

"Dunno~… I'm the weird guy~… Heh, heh, heh." Colored Man improved a joke on the spot.

"… So? What do you think of it, sir?" One detective asked over the PET.

"Hmmm… Hard to say… Maybe he's testing them?"

"It could be, yet… It's too vague… You can't call falling for a joke "indication of return to criminal activity", right, sir?" The other detective sounded doubtful.

"Of course not! Huff. Just keep an eye out on Hinoken. If he gets cocky and tries to do something weird then you can arrest him in charges of arson and breaking the conditional liberty."

"Roger, sir."

"The others look like they won't give a credit for what Hinoken does yet keep an eye on them nevertheless."

"Understood, sir."

"So then! Inspector Megure, my fellow! Did you say Mouri has a jinx which makes him call on the Grim Reaper wherever he goes to? That's why there's always a murder close by, eh?" Forte joked.

"SSSHHHHA~SSSHHH!" The inspector hissed and growled some kind of curse word.

"Shash? Why not." Forte giggled.

"Why not feed on vanity and sin?" A voice asked.

"HUH? Who was that?" Forte wondered.

"Not me!" Magic Man announced.

"Hmpf! Not me." Elec Man scoffed.

"Grrr! Not me." Fire Man grumbled.

"Dunno~…" Colored Man trailed off.

"I'm afraid things won't be as easy-going as you believe they will be, gentlemen."

"That speech register…! Zeta! You again!"

"Indeed."

"What happened yesterday, HUH?"

A brown and black Normal Navi stepped in and it turned out it was another avatar of "Zeta".

"I felt like Mr. Keitai Denwa was playing dirty and turning the whole issue into a one-sided battle. It felt unfair. And it was threatening and damaging Internet City. It was better to force it to self-delete than let it continue: it would've imploded and there wouldn't be an Internet City by now if it had…" "Zeta" calmly explained.

"Hmpf. Fine. You lowlife have a point there… What's your goal this time around? Power? Authority? Money?"

"And if I don't have one but I pop out whenever I feel like it?" The Navi shrugged the shoulders.

"Sheesh. Beating around the bush and being as vague as ever… That's what annoys me most…"

"That "as ever" feels out of place. We haven't known each other for years, Mr. Forte." "Zeta" brought up.

"Well…" Magic Man ventured.

"You stay outta this." He icily hissed.

"Yikes!" Magic Man gasped.

"T-trouble. Let's go back to our PETs!" Fire Man whispered.

"Hmpf! Fine…" Elec Man scoffed.

"Uh-oh. Madoi~…" Colored Man muttered.

"If you shall excuse me, I shall go attend other affairs. We may meet again soon enough. Gentlemen."

There was a white flash and the Navi vanished: Forte snarled under his breath and stomped the ground with his right foot out of frustration and bad mood.

"One day I'll figure out who you are…! And I'll erase that smug smile from your face…! I promise you…! I feel vehemently disgusted! Nya~h!"

15:24 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Akira… Aren't you going over the board? You've got Forte pissed at you and that's not a good sign."

"Oh. Don't worry, Shun – kun. He'll eventually run out of it. Serenade will give him a lesson."

"Let's hope so…"

"Don't worry. It's not like he can figure out who I am like that. Just running loose and venting off his anger at random…"

"Don't get confident, Akira, or trouble will knock at your door. You never know: someone might've noticed your Network accesses for all we know and they might want to use you…"

"I'm very careful but not arrogant… Hmmm… Despite using different routes and shortcuts… There might be someone who could see a pattern in them… I'll try to be more careful…"

Obihiro was having a conversation with Akira over his PET and he looked concerned while Akira didn't seem to be terribly worried: Obihiro rolled his eyes while Akira rubbed his chin.

"By the way, the behavior of Pharaoh Man and all were elements copied from the Wii RPG game "The Last Story"… Keitai Denwa can't do better than that, it'd seem." He grinned.

"So it'd seem. So? How about our mysterious investigator? Do you know who they are?"

"Hmmm… I've got a hunch but I'd like to wait to see if I can catch some solid proof… I don't like to speculate without proof… Like those who start a topic in a PKMN forum to discuss a yet-to-be-confirmed game…"

"Alright."

"By the way… Is there some souvenir you'd like me to bring? A miniature Hogwarts Express, maybe~?" He teased.

"No, thank you." He rolled his eyes.

"No? Are you sure of it? Shun – kun." He looked amused.

"I said no, Akira."

"That's too bad. I was going to go to Diagon Alley to get one for you, you know, Shun – kun." He joked next.

"Don't you need to go school?"

"Oho. True. I need to leave in less than 3 minutes. I only need to put on my shoes and walk there. It's close by." He glanced at a clock which apparently was there, off-screen.

"So go there."

"Sure. If I see Malfoy sneaking into the Knockturn Alley then I'll tell it to you as well, Shun – kun. Stay healthy~!"

"Bye."

"See you around, baby~…" He teased.

"W-what?" Obihiro gasped.

"Heh, heh, heh!"

The call ended and Obihiro rolled his eyes out of exasperation before sighing and shrugging: there was a beep from his PC.

"The proximity sensors… Someone has stepped into the circle of them and is less than 250 meters from my firewall… Sensors: on! Imagery: let's see who's come by." He muttered.

He typed some commands and brought up a pop-up screen which displayed Omega walking towards the firewall: the angle of the camera showed that he had a grin on his face, for once.

"Guess Mr. Zataki found his serious mode to be too hysterical or obsessed with hunting the enemy so he switched to his joker mode to balance them out and shatter the ice for a while… I can bear with that: at least he doesn't tease like Akira…" He guessed.

"Yo~! Grayson the 13th! Ya there~?"

"G-Grayson the 13th? Oh come on! Omega."

"My bad, Oni – chan."

"Obihiro! Not Onihiro!"

"Blame Mistress Ayanokouji~! And her infinite intelligence~! Heh, heh, heh, heh."

Omega could now be seen from the front and he did look amused and in the mood to pull jokes.

"Anyway. What's up?" Obihiro drily asked.

"My. What dryness. Dry Man was there."

"What's your business?"

"I bring ya smuggled goods!"

"Oh yeah? What are they?" He merely lifted the right eyebrow.

"A lance and horns!"

"My lance! You damned ronin!"

"My horns! You damned punk!"

"Oho. The owners wanted some smuggle bonus fee so I'm gonna go to Gringotts Wizarding Bank to deposit them. See ya around the corner of evil and dismay~!" Omega laughed.

He ran off and was chased by both Dark Man (who was missing the horns) and Yamato Man (who was missing his lance): Omega giggled and it could be seen that he carried a large black leather case which surely had the stolen stuff set inside of it.

"WAIT!"

"WTIA! Wireless TIA! Check it out! Technicians in Air-Ground Investigations: the top of the top! I laugh at the CIA!"

"Huff. Why do I feel some kind of déjà vu upon hearing that name, anyway…?" He sighed.

He shut down the pop-up and then heard someone ringing the bell: he frowned and looked at his PET's clock before heading towards the hall to check it out.

"I'm not expecting anyone… Unless it's Mr. Zataki who wanted to have some talk with me… Let's see…"

He checked the peep-hole and gasped upon recognizing Lezareno standing outside the apartment.

"Huh-oh… What do I do? Maybe he doesn't know anything and he just wants hunches or hints… Yeah. Surely."

He opened the door and Lezareno smiled.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Obihiro. It's been a while."

"True, sir. What might I help you with, sir?"

"I'm sorry to drop by unannounced but I had a sudden flash of inspiration… I wanted to talk with you since you're the expert in these matters."

"Please come in, by all means."

"Thank you."

Obihiro led Lezareno into the small living room and they sat on foldable portable plastic chairs set on opposite sides of a wooden table: there was a half-empty pet bottle of water there and an unused plastic cup.

"May I?"

"Please."

"Thank you."

Lezareno drank some water and then cleared his throat: Obihiro tried to stay calm and collected.

"Well. I thought that maybe there were rumors about "Zeta" in some communities, maybe amongst gamers… It might be a forum username as well. So I thought that you could help me check it out."

"Yes, I'd like to, but without specifics… There are countless gaming communities…"

"Of course. Well. To begin with… You might try looking at King Land or Scotland ones… I think that the Scottish accent "Zeta" had was no improvisation… We have a Scottish agent stationed in Akita City and he checked it out… He claimed that that was the type of accent someone who's lived several years in Scotland would get… So they might be someone young… Maybe if you detect a pattern there or there we could use those to try to find a candidate…" He detailed.

"Hum. It's worth a try… I can sneak into the forums and just stay on the watch, keeping an eye out… But there could be several users who use "Zeta" or "Z" as username… Even more in communities such as Legend of Zelda fans… A lot of them might come up with names based off the titular "Zelda"…" Obihiro warned.

"I know it won't be easy and it might be a waste of time, a red herring, but I feel like it has potential to be checked out. Let's give it 5 days: if nothing turns out then we can abandon it. Of course: I'm not asking of you to shove asides other requests or jobs. Try to dedicate a little while as long as possible."

"Understood."

"That's all. I'll be on my way back. We need to resume hunting for Keitai before he can come up with something far more deadly than what he showed to us yesterday."

"Truly."

Lezareno came out of the apartment and Obihiro sighed in relief: he then assumed a worried face.

"Heck. Akira overdid it… Oh well. Not like they can come close to naming anyone as candidate… It's not public that Akira has good computer skills, anyway… Let's just make it look like it was a red herring all along. It'll fit with their expectations, so…"

Akira, man! You should be more careful with these guys! Sheesh.

09:51 AM (Ohio Time)…

"… Sheesh. What can I come up with? I can't concentrate: this annoyance is getting the better of me. If only that smug bastard hadn't shown up and ruined it all… I'd left a name to be feared: Keitai Denwa, Destroy of Internet City! Sheesh!"

Keitai was mumbling aloud in his Columbus apartment and looking both annoyed and exasperated: he was sitting on the sofa and distractedly watching a TV show.

"Sheesh. Not "The Simpsons" again… Go codfish!"

He picked the remote and switched TV station before lazily dropping it on the sofa to his right.

"…the cousin of the actress which…"

"Sheesh. Not these unending chats about cousins, half-bros, bros in law and all of that… Go tuna!"

"…and then it was batter out!"

"Baseball? I always SUCKED at it. Go to Hell!"

"…but they've got a long way to go! Michael Jordan was the best and the number one, Mike!"

"Well, well. Don't get so hot-blooded, Chris! That's your opinion, I've got mine and everyone's got his or hers."

"Basketball next? Pfff… Boring!"

"… and the Red Fury Bulls beat the Purple Mind Tigers…!"

"Football…? Never saw the point of it unless it's meant to be a sport to test your "brawl instinct"… Brawl instinct? Hah! I made up a good joke: I should patent it! Mwah, hah, hah."

"… Messi The Golden on the scene~!"

"Soccer next… It's all full of sports channels, isn't it! Why don't they show some thriller or blockbuster or whatever?"

"I'm afraid your TV viewing time's over."

"What the fuck!"

Keitai turned around to spot Barrel standing behind him while having stuffed both hands on his pockets: he looked dry and unimpressed so Keitai quickly sprang to his feet and drew an M9 gun from his breast pocket which he aimed at Barrel.

"Barrel! Commander of the Ameroupe Army's "Network Troop"! And Wily's son!"

"FOSTER son. Don't mix me with that old man anymore." Barrel drily replied.

"How could you find me?"

"I analyzed the frequencies you used to pilot Pharaoh Man yesterday and figured out the rough location… Some check – up with the ISPs and the habitation register led me here… Game Over."

"Do you think I'll be caught SO easily? Die!"

Keitai shot but Barrel quickly dived into the ground, rolled, stood up, and jumped over the sofa to kick the gun out of Keitai's right hand in the meanwhile: Keitai jumped to the left so Barrel ended up standing in front of the sofa as Keitai ran off through the opened apartment door: Barrel cursed and gave chase.

"Wait!"

"Who is gonna "wait" when ya tell them to?" Keitai sneered as he ran down the stairs.

"Shit. You're not running away."

"Says the Bond wannabe~!"

"Sheesh!" He got a twitch over the right eye.

"Hit a vibe~!"

"You lowlife!"

"That's my motto, Bond's Walter PPK7's barrel!"

"Che!"

"I've got some aces up my sleeves! Eat this!"

Keitai turned around and threw a smoke ball into the ground: it shattered and the smoke made it difficult for Barrel to see: he began to cough as well while Keitai made it to the ground floor and quickly ran into the door connecting with the rear corridor: he slammed it shut behind him and quickly locked it from the inside.

"Shit. The guy had to carry lock-picks around, hence why he was able to get in my apartment so silently. Oh well. I can always find a new place to drop off at: I've got money and contacts. If I use the Orwellian mad guys' name and the old ID card it should be enough to set some meek guys trembling in fear and bowing in front of me!" He muttered.

He ran off into the rear garden and looked around: he spotted a small green Ford car parked there.

"My car. I did well on parking it on the rear… Gotta hurry! Barrel won't waste the time with the two locked doors I left behind! The guy must be circling the building from either left or right!"

He turned on the car and ran off just as Barrel made it to the scene, panting and cursing: he spotted the guy riding into a Yamaha bike and starting to chase him.

"Che. It's become interestin'!"

He opened the glove compartment and drew a Makarov pistol: he lowered his driver's window and began to shoot at Barrel who began to dodge: Keitai then spotted a building under construction which was largely finished and snickered.

"Let's play hide 'n seek over there! Once I find a chance I fill the guy with lead and then scram! That's what happens when ya try to play James Bond, Barrel! Ya end up 7 feet under! The curse of the wannabe~! I should patent that one, man!" He laughed.

He rammed into the provisional fences and easily ran over them and inside of the building: he picked the elevator and selected the 13th floor out of randomness: he stepped out into the largely completed floor which was only missing some paneling in the walls and ceiling.

"Heh. I see. Hence why the banner said it'd be ready in 2 weeks from now: only minor stuff like polishing and paneling is missing. There are cupboards so I could hide inside and catch the guy unaware. I'm a genius, really! Nyah, hah, hah."

He ran inside of an office which was totally furnished by now and opened a large cupboard which had nothing inside: he closed the doors almost totally and only left a small gap to look out and be able to aim on the outside: he heard rushed footsteps.

"Heh. I knew it. Come to your grave, Barrel…"

Barrel ran in and looked around: he seemed to feel there was a trap so he ducked and hid behind a desk in the main working area: he peeked from the left and seemed to assess the situation.

Luckily this cupboard is set in angle which can only be seen when you're very close to it… I don't mind waiting for a chance… The headlines this will become when the workers come here later on… This is my chance to become a feared man! Mwah, hah, hah. Alive. You moron. Did you think you could overshadow me~? No chance, moron! I never gave a crap for your petty "plans"… I only wanted to see how you handled the Committee guys but you risked it all on the last stake… Meh! Not my problem: you sucked to begin with. Mwah, hah, hah.

"… Too quiet…" Barrel could be heard muttering.

Did ya expect it to be some saxophone~?

Barrel suddenly dived from one desk to the other to take cover and Keitai spotted that he had a SOCOM gun with silencer equipped: Keitai snickered and merely closed the door silently.

I can hear the guy's breathing… Good thing that this is a 13th floor and street sounds are pretty dimmed… Heh, heh, heh…

Keitai heard some low breathing sounds coming closer so he aimed the gun at the forehead height and took out the safety.

Once the guy begins opening the cupboard…! Wait, wait! That guy won't be so idiotic to come from the front! The guy will surely lure me to shoot opening one door and hiding behind it! And opening from the side: but during the opening there should be a gap between the door and the main body… I can shot one round and then run out to finish it!

To Keitai's surprise, the cupboard was opened from the front so he wasted no time and shot several rounds yet they bounced off something.

What? The guy brought the motorbike helmet?

"Surrender."

"What the fuck! You're… Colonel!"

"Freeze!"

It turned out that Colonel was the one who'd opened the cupboard and was aiming his saber at Keitai while Barrel rushed in from the left and began to struggle with Keitai: the guy growled and began a power struggle with Barrel: Keitai managed to put strength forward and both fell from the cupboard into the ground where they began to punch and kick while Colonel stepped asides as if thinking it was better to let Barrel handle the field.

"DIE~!"

"Wrong! Take this!"

Barrel suddenly gripped the collar of Keitai's shirt and quickly pushed him backwards to make his head hit the cupboard door: Keitai groaned and was knocked out from the blow.

"Phew. It was a good idea to bring you along, Colonel… This was a close one, really. But now it's over."

"Yeah, Barrel… Yet… It might be the start of something else, too…"

"We can't know that yet… But we can't lower our guards!"