So, this chapter is going to be a game changer. I originally wanted to-wait, I am spoiling the story too much!
OK, let's just get to the point.
Let's encounter...of the third kind.
Note: the chapter headline section of the FanFiction does now allow me to write "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." So, I shortened it.
Chapter 10: Close Encounters
"We found our way," Miho said politely but blushing, as she approached Mason. The rest of the girls joined in.
"Yup! And we came by-" Yukari began to blurt out, but Momo and Saori both clapped her mouth shut. All of them silently agreed to not tell Mason about the tank, for now.
"Who are they?" asked Jung-sik. Pastor AK, however, had a strange grin on his face, and it unnerved Mason.
"Who are they?" asked Pastor AK in a tone that Mason knew all too well: sly and honest.
"Stop it," Mason moaned. "They're not my girlfriends..."
Despite that, Mason gave a quick glimpse at Miho, which she reciprocated. Both turned their eyes away, blushing. Saori noticed this, grinning slyly.
Mason sighed.
"OK," he finally said. "Jung-sik and Pastor AK, let's move to a place far away. Then, I will explain."
"OK," Mason said. "Here we are."
Mason, his friends (ahem, not "girlfriends"), Jung-sik, and Pastor AK all sat together in a row of picnic tables inside a picnic shelter. Mason was at one end of the row, so that everybody could see him. Pastor AK was on the other end, staring at him with a sly grin. Jung-sik sat between Pastor AK and Hana (who was on his left), glancing at her a couple of times. Hana, Saori, Mako, and Yukari all sat in one row with Jung-sik. Miho, Anzu, Momo, and Yuzu sat on the other row. Miho, however, was sitting right next to Mason on his left.
"So," began Mason. "Guys, I think we all need to introduce ourselves."
"Fair," replied Pastor AK. "Hello, girls. My name is Pastor Alexander Kingston Kohl, but I prefer to be called Pastor AK."
"Or just AK," added in Jung-sik.
"Shush," AK replied in a teasing manner, smiling.
"And I am Kim Jung-sik," said Jung-sik. "Kim is my last name, though."
"Oh!" all the girls replied, since they were Japanese.
"Hi there," said Miho. "I am Nishizumi Miho."
"Takebe Saori!" replied Saori.
"Isuzu Hana," answered Hana.
"Oh!" Jung-sik replied. "Are you related to a car company?"
"Eh?" asked Hana.
"Nevermind," said Mason. "Let's continue."
"Akiyama Yukari," said Yukari.
"Reizei Mako," replied Mako lazily.
"And you?" asked Mason. "I am Paine Mason."
"First time seeing you face-to-face," said Anzu, crossing her arms behind her head. "I am Kadotani Anzu."
"Kawashima Momo," said Momo curtly.
"Koyama Yuzuko," said Yuzu. "Or Yuzu."
"You like sweet potatoes?" asked Mason, suddenly flashing out a bag.
Anzu stared, her hands no longer eating imaginary chips. She slowly gave her empty bag to Yuzu, who crumpled it up. Mason reached out, got the crumpled bag and threw it away, and gave the bag of dried sweet potatoes to Anzu.
Anzu snatched it like a praying mantis, and proceeded to tear it up and gobble up a few pieces. She sighed in big relief.
"Ah...!" she sighed, very satisfied.
Momo shook her head, while the others grinned and snickered.
"Prez," Momo said. "Stop acting like a child."
"Just call me Anzu," she replied, munching on every bit like a prized morsel. "Ah, this is bliss."
Momo shook her head again.
"You like dried sweet potatoes, huh?" asked Jung-sik. "Say, your names sound familiar; where did I hear them?"
"You heard them long ago, remember?" Mason asked. "But it's not time for that; so, what are you all up to?"
"Well," said Miho. "We've been wondering where you were."
"And you came all the way here?" asked Mason, aghast.
The girls all nodded in silent affirmation. They and Mason knew not to talk about the Portal Motel.
"OK," Jung-sik said. "Who are you all exactly?"
"Oho," said Pastor AK. "Haven't you noticed that the girls have beautiful, big eyes?"
Anzu, Momo, and Yuzu just blinked, but all five other girls paled; Mason also paled. Mason forgot to tell them that the girls are different from the "real life" Americans, in having very big eyes. Eyes as big as baseballs, for Mason. Plus, the girls all look very "white" by American standards. Mason also realized that he forgot to tell them why he knew them.
Oh no! he realized inside. I should have told them earlier!
The Anglerfish girls also paled, but for different reasons. Although the Turtle Team knew that they all were in America, the girls forgot to tell their Council members that they were not only illegals, but also looked different from others. They wanted to blend in, but forgot that their eyes stood out.
Uh oh, Miho realized. We should have been more careful.
"Wait," Miho began. "Then, how was-"
Ring, ring!
"Thomas?" Mason said, checking his phone; he was silently glad that his phone rang. "Thomas, what's up?"
A few seconds passed in silence from the crowd, then...
"WHAT THE! ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!" Mason roared.
The girls jumped, while Jung-sik and Pastor AK shook their heads. The two men knew what was going on.
"Thomas!" Mason roared again. "I told you for the last time! You keep going to that drug house?! Buying crack and drugs is bad enough, and now the police is there! And where are you? You're safe? Safe? Well, you are indeed safe from capture, but now you have to wander in a random road, just to avoid capture! And now I have to come and get you home again!"
He blurted out very rapidly, each word shooting out like a bullet. He then slammed the phone on the table. Miho and all other girls winced.
"Sorry," he said. "I have to go!"
Mason ran to his car, while the others were left in silence.
"OK," Jung-sik began. "So, about you..."
He and Pastor AK found themselves alone, with a note on their table. Pastor AK took it and read it:
Sorry, we have to go. Thank you.
"Looks a little broken," said Jung-sik. "The girls must be new to America; they also sounded funny."
"They sure have big, beautiful eyes!" Pastor AK said, sounding like the Santa Claus. "Let's go and pray that we'll see them again."
"But why do they look familiar?" began Jung-sik, but he lost his train of thought when his own phone rang. Realizing that his parents were worried, he picked it up and headed home.
"That was close!" Saori gasped.
All of the girls were back at their tank, and Mako did not hesitate to rev up the engine; even she was panting a little.
"We forgot!" wailed Saori. "That we're not in Japan, and we're not in our world anymore!"
"A parallel universe?" suggested Mako, as she drove the tank carefully downhill.
"Yes," said Hana. "I guess so."
"But why do we have to be careful?" roared Momo.
"Well," Anzu said. "Let's get to the point. First, we're in America. Second, there is no Senshadou in this world. And three, we look different."
"How?" asked Momo.
"Look at ourselves," said Miho. "We look white, but we have large eyes. I guess everybody around us forgot; haven't you noticed that we look different from them?"
"Well," said Momo curtly. "Those three weird boys sure looked American, but with smaller eyes."
"Exactly," said Anzu.
"Smaller eyes?" asked Momo.
"See their eyes," Mako chimed in. "And ours?"
"Wait," Momo commented, starting to realize. "Hey, wait a second..."
Momo put her hands into a thinking posture, deep in thought. She blinked, and blinked. Sighing, she nodded.
"You got it," said Miho. "I am surprised that they noticed it right there. But nobody else seemed to notice."
"Wait," Yuzu said. "You mean, I remember you all traveling with Mason, and nobody commented on you all."
"They did comment us looking pretty," said Saori. "But nobody treated us as 'aliens' of some sort."
"Hmm," said Mako. "I have a feeling..."
"...that this has to do with the spy module," Miho finished Mako's train of thought. Both looked at each other, and smiled.
"Spy module?' asked the Turtle Team.
"Let's go to our base," said Miho. "And we'll discuss more fully from there."
Once again, the tank creeped over the terrain, and passed through the same road. This time, they saw not a single soul; the girls peacefully traveled back to their base. Parking the tank inside the garage, all of them came out, and breathed in relief.
"Man," said Momo, groaning as she stretched. "That was rough!"
"And," said Anzu, stretching to reveal her midriff. "We need more clothing."
"Can this strange building," said Yuzu. "Summon clothing?"
"Nope," Mako answered curtly. Momo moaned, while Anzu shrugged.
"I guess," said Miho. "We have to wait for Mason to come by. Oh!"
Her cell phone rang, and she took it up.
"Mason!" Miho called. "How are you doing? Yes. Yes. No, you don't have to. But..oh. OK. By the way, we need more clothing for our Turtle Team. Yes, wait. You need a moment. OK..."
She made motions with her hands. Her friends nodded, as Miho walked to a corner of the parking lot, far away enough to have a private talk.
"I wonder what they're talking about," said Yuzu.
"Love talk?" Saori suggested.
"In your face," Mako commented curtly.
"Hey!" Saori groaned, playfully wrestling with her.
Anzu snickered, and watched Miho's face changing back and forth, smiling and having a serious, thoughtful face.
"She sure adapted well to this world," said Anzu.
"But what about our home?" groaned Momo.
"Cheer up," Anzu answered. "We'll find a way, somehow. I think we should check out the spy module."
The others nodded unanimously, and went inside the garage. Yukari watched Miho for a while, before following others back in.
"I hope they're alright," Yukari said, as Mako turned on the spy module.
"OK," said Mason, the cold phone to his ear as he drove. Actually, he talked only when he was at a traffic stop. When he drove, he dropped the phone. Fortunately, Miho quickly understood that he was driving, and respectfully waited. After three traffic stops, Mason said everything that he wanted to say.
"That's all that I can say," said Mason. "I hope you understand."
Although the noise of cars filled the air, Mason noticed the silence from the phone.
"Oh..." Miho's voice finally rang through the phone.
"Yes," Mason sighed, as the light changed. "Technically, that's how I know of you all. And I drive."
He dropped the phone on his right seat, as he let Miho have some time to understand everything. He finally told her about the Japanese TV show called Girls und Panzer. He finally told her about how he knew each girl's name, due to that. He also knew of their battles, their personalities, and almost everything.
"Do..." Miho began, as Mason picked up the phone at the next traffic light. "Do...you know my body measurements?"
Mason dropped his jaws.
"Uh..." he said. "To be honest, no. Yukari said it out loud on the show, but I chose not to listen to that."
"Thanks," Miho said over the phone. "Then, I give you full permission to know it."
"Eh?"
"You don't have to," she teased him.
"Anyway," he said, as the light still did not change. "There is one thing that bothers me."
"What is it?" she asked.
"What is your bust size?" Mason asked.
"Eh?" Miho asked back.
"On the TV show," Mason began. "Your bust-oh, I have to drive."
He dropped the phone again, as the light turned green.
"Please," he moaned to himself. "I can't talk and drive at the same time, too nervous to do both. Please God, let the light be red."
The next light was red.
"Thank you!" he prayed out loud, as he took the phone up. "OK, Miho, I...I hope you understand. And sorry for that outburst back then."
"Hehe," he heard her giggle. He blushed.
"Thanks," Miho said. "Good luck saving your friend."
"Thank you," he courteously replied. "See you later."
"Have fun!" she said.
Click.
"Thomas!" he finally changed his mood. "I am going to tell you flat out loud, and no groaning this time."
"Good thing I have a feeling where you were!" Mason roared at his dirty friend. Apparently, Thomas stumbled out of a dense strand of bushes and vegetation.
"Eh," Thomas shrugged. "It's not a big deal."
"Not a big deal!" Mason shook his head, as he took out newspapers to cover his right seat. "Well, at least you're fine, but I don't want you to go to jail!"
"Hey," Thomas said, as he and Mason went into the car. "It's not a big deal."
"OK!" Mason ignored him. "Open your mouth."
Mason sniffed.
"Nope!" he said.
"Hey," Thomas began. "I'll just close-"
"Nope!" Mason firmly said, taking out a water bottle and a few pieces of gum. "Go, gurgle, and chew."
Thomas moaned, but obeyed. It was one of the few things that he obeyed in life.
"Better," Mason said, after smelling him again.
"Now," he finally said, as they all went in. "We're going."
It was a silent drive afterwards.
"We're here," he said, dropping off Thomas at a bus stop.
"Thank," Thomas began. "I-"
"I have to go!" Mason said, and revved up his engine. He drove away, but waved back.
Thomas waved back, and sighed.
"Man," he said to himself. "He's a real friend."
"A real friend..." Mason said to himself. "Also knows to not put other friends on the line."
He drove back home, cleaned up his car's interior, greeted his mom, and went out again. He finally sighed in relief.
"Now," he said to himself. "Where are the girls? Oh yeah, back to the motel!"
"Hmm," the girls watched the screen.
"Agents," hissed a familiar voice. "Nothing still?"
"Agent Father," a nervous voice began. "I-"
"We have a lead only here in Acta," Agent Father boomed through the screen. "And we have found only a few Filipinos. Haven't you seen anyone there?"
"We found three boys," said one of the agents, who sounded familiar.
"Hey," began Yukari. "Isn't that-"
Everybody shushed her, and Yukari silently watched.
"We have already deposed of the other Agents," said Agent Father. "For their failures. And you, Agent Tunis, are safe only because you managed to find three of them who slipped out that they know of some...interesting girls."
The girls blinked.
"It appears," said Agent Tunis. "That the three boys do not have much memory of who they were. What we do know, however, is that a group of girls went inside. Apparently, they appeared to have left some trace of interference."
"And do you have it?" asked Agent Father. The girls craned to look.
"Here," said Agent Tunis, taking out a pair of skewers.
Hana gasped.
"Somebody," explained Agent Tunis. "Apparently used these as chopsticks. From what I can tell, the people here do not all use chopsticks, and the user apparently was not a Filipino."
"And how did you find the interference?" asked Agent Father.
"I do not know how," Agent Tunis said, his calm voice growing a little more nervous. "But it has no fingerprints, despite being used clearly with fingers, but it can do this."
He took the skewers, and put it into a flower pot. At first, the rose plant did not react. Then, its three buds suddenly blossomed into beautiful roses: a white, a pink, and a red one appeared.
The girls gasped.
"One of those girls," said Agent Tunis. "Is what we're looking for."
"How did you do that?" whispered Saori.
"I don't know," Hana whispered back. "I only remember using the skewers as chopsticks, because they looked better than the actual ones provided. Wait, I think I wished or-"
"Excellent!" roared Agent Father, making the girls jump. "Now, all we need to do is use that skewers."
"Unfortunately," said Agent Tunis. "The interference on here cannot be extracted. We cannot determine who the user is, but we do know, from our enhanced interrogation techniques with two of the boys, that the girls seemed to have gone to another location, inside a white Honda Accord of something."
The Anglerfish girls stared at each other, horror etched on their faces.
"What's wrong?" Anzu asked.
"Why only two?" blared Agent Father.
"The other guy," said Agent Tunis. "Did not escape, but seemed to have suffered from a concussion when he accidentally tripped."
"You sure he didn't do that on purpose?" asked Agent Father.
"Sir," Agent Tunis said. "It was a complete accident. I saw it with my eyes. I know a real fall from a faked one. He had a nasty fall; we had to let him go."
"Hmm," said Agent Father. "And say, how do you know the interference was on the skewers?"
"Honestly..." Agent Tunis said. "I accidentally dropped my detector into the trash can, and it flashed."
"In other words," Agent Father said, groaning. "You cannot tell; you just guess."
"Yes," said Agent Tunis. "By chance, I found the skewers. And we have tracked down the Honda Accord to a nearby park."
The Anglerfish girls paled, while the Turtle Team looked on, curious.
"We tracked it down," said Agent Tunis. "To the Faba Park."
The Anglerfish girls sighed in relief.
"Well then," said Agent Father. "Go and find it."
"Thank you," said Agent Tunis. "And say, what is this device?"
"Supposed to do something," said Agent Father, as the girls noticed Tunis touching what looked like a strange tower-shaped disc. It suddenly spun around.
"I was told to keep it and use it," said Agent Father. "But I don't know."
"Say," began Saori. "What is that-"
Bzzzzzttt!
The spy module's screen suddenly showed stripes of black and white, and the girls sighed.
"Oh shoot," Mako said curtly. "That thing apparently messes with our module."
"As long as they don't know that," Anzu smirked. "We'll be fine."
"Girls!" Miho came in.
"Miporin!" Saori yelled. "Are you going to tell us?"
"Yes!" Miho said, sitting down with them. "OK, so Mason told me..."
"We are at the location," said Agent Tunis, getting out of his sleek SUV. He brought with him another Agent, and a police cruiser.
"What are we looking for?" asked the officer, as he got out. "And we're at this park?"
"Yup," said Agent Tunis. "We call this Faba Park."
"That's an old name for this," said the officer. "People thought that it was a little weird, and voted to rename it, because it was historically used as an actual free space."
"Yes," Tunis stared up at the sign.
The wooden sign revealed bold, white letters: FREEDOM PARK.
"Yes it is," he admitted.
Agent Tunis then pressed a button on his watch.
"Hello?" he asked at the 3D image that appeared.
"Agent Tunis," said Agent Father, clad in a dark cloak. "You have done well. Let the two subordinates and the police officer deal with the situation. You are free today."
"And the health insurance?" asked Tunis.
"All paid and affirmed," he replied.
"Thank you," said Tunis.
"Logging off," said Agent Father, as Tunis took out a cell phone.
"Agents Copper and Tin," he called them. "You are in charge. You know what to do."
"Hey," Mason said, calling over the phone.
"So," said Anzu. "This is your phone number, eh?"
"Prez!" Momo called over the phone. "Stop feigning innocence. Are you flirting him?"
"What?" he did a double take. "F-flirting? Seriously, I have no girlfriend, you know?"
"Hehe," Anzu teased. "So, Miho told us everything."
Mason gulped.
"So we are the 'anime girls,' eh?" Anzu continued her teasing. "With big eyes and impossible feats of power, such as super strength. That's weird."
"How is that 'weird'?!" roared Momo through the phone.
"Girls!" Mason heard Miho's voice over the phone, making him blush. "Calm down; you all need to calm down."
"Let Miho talk," Mason called.
"Okeydoke!" Anzu replied.
"Okeydoke?" asked Saori.
"Who taught you that?" Mason heard Momo groan loudly. He winced at her uproar, hoping that she would calm down for once.
"It's America," said Anzu. "Cool down, will ya?"
"Hi," said Miho. "It's the second time we're talking today, right?"
"Y-yeah," Mason finally said. "You told them everything?"
"Yes!" roared the three voices of Saori, Yuzu, and Yukari.
"That makes a lot of sense," Mason heard Mako's low voice in the background.
"And why is that significant?" asked Momo suspiciously.
"Eh?" responded Mason. "Well, that brings to-oh yeah! I forgot!"
"What?" asked Miho, and Mason could hear other girls craning, squeezing into Miho's body closely to hear.
"One time," he began. "I saw a strange agent, and he said about the Corp-"
Bzzztttt!
"What?" Mason jumped, when the phone's line got cut short. He tried to turn his phone on, but the phone flashed a blue screen with red words:
WARNING. THIS IS NOT AN EMERGENCY. WE WILL FIX THIS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
"Hmm..." he pondered. "This definitely is not a 'blue screen of death' of sort. And my phone company...nope, I am not telling them for now."
He sighed, and held his hands together.
"Please God," he said, closing his eyes. "If this is a sign, say something, please."
The phone's words suddenly changed, so a new screen appeared. This time, the screen was deep blue, with golden yellow words: GO SEE THEM QUICK.
"Eh?" Mason loudly asked. "Wait, that was too quick of a prayer...OK, I am going. Girls, please hold on."
"Hmm," said a man of tall, slim appearance. "Agent Tin, looks like somebody knows of our presence."
A man, dressed in the same black suit as the former, but darker-skinned and more robust, peered into his partner's watch.
"Yes," Agent Tin affirmed. "Agent Copper, good thing our device does that. The anti-detection pressurizer uses a bit of interference to literally interfere with anyone in our vicinity, who talks even a little about us."
"Useful," said Agent Copper.
"Yes," Agent Tin chimed in, whistling.
"Then," Agent Copper said, fixing his suit full of secret items inside; they rattled and made noises inside. "We have to get going."
"What happened?" Momo asked, incredulous.
The same screen appeared on their side.
"It says, 'THIS IS NOT AN EMERGENCY,' and other words," read Mako.
"So it was hijacked?" asked Hana innocently.
Everybody stood in silence. Even Anzu stopped chewing her snack.
"Let's..." whispered Miho. "Just try and focus on the screen."
Everybody silently agreed, and Mako worked frantically on the spy module, while Miho checked Anzu's phone.
"Is somebody..." Miho trailed off.
"Miho-san?" asked Hana.
Miho stopped looking at the screen, and tiptoed towards the door. Due to the heat outside, the girls closed the garage door. However, Miho quietly walked towards the door, and held her right ear close to the door.
"Mi-Miporin?"
Miho shushed at her friend and the others.
"How does she figure..." Momo trailed off, as Anzu gave her a look that silenced her.
"She's Miho," Anzu whispered, both serious and impressed. She knew that Miho was up to something.
10 minutes ago...
Three figures walked up towards the motel, crunching through the same old weeds and saplings that somehow managed to regrow back, despite being mowed by Mason's own car.
"***!" Agent Copper cussed. "These **** weeds are annoying!"
"Hold your tongue," said Agent Tin. "I say these are nothing compare to-****! This **** tree!"
A young tree sapling, despite being green, somehow managed to not only entangle with the Agent's suit, but also ripped it apart.
"That was a thousands dollars!" Agent Tin roared, stumping the poor sapling. "****! ****! ****! **** you, stupid tree!"
"Shush!" the police officer told them. "You told me to keep quiet; now you two are the loud ones."
The two Agents glared at him, and the officer wisely stepped back.
"The whole point of you," growled Agent Copper. "Was to help us keep the order in line. Unfortunately, your puny cruiser got stuck in the weeds, and crashed into a ditch! To make matters worse, it somehow crashed into both of our cars, and all three are now in the ditch! Now, we have to physically walk through this **** of a road."
The police officer stayed silent, but his face betrayed his disdain.
"So," Agent Tin said, noticing his watch suddenly make a variety of noises, from buzzes to clicks. "We are at the epicenter of the spike."
"What is this spike?" asked the officer. "None of you even told-"
"Hold your tongue," growled Agent Copper. "Cooperate long enough, and we will pay you well."
"For my daughter, right?" asked the officer.
"Who is dying of cancer, right?" sneered Agent Tin. "Must be a fine day to go to Heaven."
The officer held back his anger, gritting his teeth.
"And here we are," Agent Tin declared, after a long hike uphill.
Three men stood in front of the gate, with the giant, polished sign in blue and white saying: PORTAL MOTEL.
"This must be it," said Agent Copper. "Copy Father, we have a visual. Father?"
"Ah, ****!" Agent Tin groaned. "Our anti-detection pressurizer disrupted even our signal? Man, that is one unpredictable machine!"
"Guess the interference is a lot stronger than we thought," Agent Copper grunted.
The police officer wanted to say something, but wisely sealed his mouth shut. He had enough of their profanity, not to mention that one of them insulted his daughter's status.
What a heartless bunch, thought the officer. At least they're rich enough to pay my daughter's medical bills.
The two agents fixed their full suits, their black sunglasses glistening in the midday sun. Scanning the seemingly empty structure and its surroundings, the men nodded at each other.
"Officer," said Agent Copper. "Stay at the gate; watch for any trespasser.
The officer nodded in resignation, and leaned on the right side of the gate. He watched the men split up; Copper went to the right, while Tin surveyed the left.
Agent Copper noticed the garage door. The dark green door appeared freshly painted, but Copper took out what appeared to be a small tablet. He clicked the button: DETECT FINGERPRINT. The device flashed a cone of lime-green light, which exposed fresh fingerprints on the door and the button nearby; they appeared as yellowish-brown tints. He then pressed the button next to the garage door, but nothing happened.
"Agent Copper," a voice pierced through the earphone in Copper's right ear.
"Yes?" he answered.
"I have checked the other half of the building's perimeter, and found an open window," Tin replied.
"Copy that," replied Copper. "I am on my way."
He came over to where Tin was, who was checking through the window, scanning inside with his own tablet. His shoes, fitted with a wall-climbing device, allowed him to stay stuck to the wall below the window.
"Gecko Guy," Copper teased Tin.
"Shut up," Tin replied. "Copper, we have no visual of any living being inside, not even an insect. This place is unusually clean."
"How so?" Copper asked.
"Too clean," Tin muttered. "The type of cleanliness only a girl will do."
"Guys can be as clean as girls!" Copper argued.
"Well," Tin grunted. "What about you?"
"Eh..." Copper realized. "Fine, but what strikes you as odd?"
"Well," Tin began. "That room appeared to be..."
Tin trailed off, as Copper turned around. The police officer also approached them. The three stared at the sight before them.
"What the..." Copper gasped. Tin blinked, wiping his eyes. The officer raised an eyebrow.
"A group of girls?" the officer finally asked. "Are they what you two are looking for?"
"Eh..." the two agents were flabbergasted. The Corporation warned them that the source of the "interference" could be anything...
"Now I warn you," said Agent Father, prior to tracking down the spike. "Be careful with the interference."
"Please," said Agent Tin. "Explain to us exactly why."
"The interference," said Father. "Is like the fossil fuels. In their refined state, they work wonders around the world. They drive the America, the world's most powerful nation. They drive the world's economy. In their raw state, however, the fossil fuels are poisonous and dangerous to the environment."
"However," the Father continued. "Unlike the fossil fuels, which are created from dead matter, the interference is present especially in living beings. Anything living from the 'other side' that comes into this Earth can continuously generate this interference."
"But how can we extract it?" asked Copper.
"We extract it from dead beings and inanimate objects from that world," said Father. "But, so far, we find living beings to have infinitely more, and can generate it again and again."
"And what kinds of creatures can we expect?" asked Copper.
"Animals and living things," Father curtly answered.
"And what happens to the living things?" asked Tin.
"Time's up!" Father declared. "Go on your mission."
"Animals and living things," muttered Tin. "But girls?"
Eight girls stood in front of the three men. The girls were visibly as confused as the men. An awkward moment of silence passed, as the birds chirped innocently in the background, but slowly but surely died down, as the clouds started to cover the bright sky.
By the time, somebody managed to speak up, half the sky was gray.
"Um..." Miho began. "Hello, there?"
"Whatever," Agent Copper said, nodding to his partner. Before the girls knew it, the two men took out what looked like taser guns, and fired. Strange, metallic ropes wrapped around all eight girls, causing them all except Miho to fall down.
"Uf!" they groaned, wincing from the fall.
"Now," Agent Copper said. "Tell me who you are, or else."
"Or else what?" Momo roared.
"Be gentle, will ya?" asked Tin. "Or this will silence you."
He clicked a button on his tablet.
"AHHHHHHH!"
Eight screams echoed in the forest, as the ropes suddenly jolted them with a strange pulse of electricity.
"Confirmed," Agent Copper remarked, as the girls reeled from the pain.
"Hey!" the officer objected. "What are you doing?"
"Tasing the girls," Tin curtly replied.
"That's no taser!" the officer roared. "What is that you pushed?"
"I guess we have no choice," said Agent Copper, pulling out a strange silver rod about 5 cm long. "But we'll tell you."
"This is the enhanced interrogation device," said Agent Tin, as he pushed another button. The girls screamed, as more pulses shot through their bodies.
"It is harmless to normal humans," said Agent Copper, clicking a button on the rod. It slowly extended to double the length, and a blue light blinked from the top of it.
"However," said Tin. "A being with what we call 'interference' is vulnerable to it. We simply over-dose the girls with it, and the girls are shocked as if tased. This is proof that these girls are aliens."
The police officer gasped, as he watched the girls, clearly disturbed.
The girls winced in pain, too hurt to even ask them. Miho, however, shook herself awake, and looked up at them, her eyes full of pain. The officer was surprised that her eyes showed not a single hint of anger, but just innocent determination.
"S-sir?" she managed to say it. "W-what are you doing?"
The agents said nothing, but clearly impressed with her determination.
"Y-yeah!" Yukari snapped out of her state.
"It hurts!" Saori and Mako both groaned.
"It is quite a pain," Hana managed to speak with some effort.
"What is this!" Momo roared.
"Ouch..." Yuzu muttered in pain.
"Eek," Anzu winced. "Not just a rope to bind us, huh?"
"Impressive," said Agent Copper.
"Never knew that even they could resist it," commented Agent Tin.
Agent Tin then walked towards Miho, grabbed her chin with his left gloved hand, and looked at her in the face. His black, cold glasses flashed a glint from the Sun.
"Very large, round eyes," said the Agent. "Pure, pale skin without a single blemish or even wrinkle. Obviously impossible for a real human."
The girls gasped, despite their pain.
"Human?" asked the officer. "They obviously look human enough!"
Agent Copper kept his rod-like device focused on the officer, who kept his distance.
"You see them?" Agent Tin asked the officer. "Do you know why I bring you here?"
"To be an eyewitness to some sort of a break-in," answered the officer.
"Correct," said Agent Tin. "But it looks like we won't need any witness."
"Say wha-"
A bright blue light flashed out of the rod-shaped device. The girls instinctively looked away, eyes closed. The light blasted the officer a few meters away, before collapsing on the asphalt floor. The Agents just grunted.
"Another casualty," remarked Agent Copper.
"At least it's not murder," said Agent Tin. "But the blast erases his memory, and knocks him unconscious."
"Anyway," said Copper, turning to face the girls. The girls tried to free themselves from their bonds, but to no avail.
"What are we going to do with them?" asked Copper. "Wait until the Corporation finds us?"
"The Corporation?" asked the girls.
"No," said Agent Tin. "We will have to physically take them to a nearby location."
"How?" asked Copper.
"Easy," said Tin, kicking the sleepy Mako in the left leg. She groaned in pain.
"Hey!" Saori screamed. "You don't kick a girl!"
"I do not kick a girl," Tin replied. "Unless she's an alien."
Saori and the others paled, while Mako writhed in pain from the blow.
"Now tell me," said Agent Copper. "Who are you girls?"
"Us?" asked Yukari innocently. "We are-"
"What do you want from us?" Momo deliberately interrupted; Miho motioned with her eyes to give her and others the cues to not tell.
The Agents said nothing, but Agent Copper held his watch, stuck to his right arm. He pressed a button, and a mechanical voice resonated from it:
"INTERFERENCE SPIKE DETECTED. EIGHT BEINGS OF UNKNOWN BIOSIGNATURE DETECTED. INTERFERENCE SPIKE DETECTED," rang the voice. The scratchy voice annoyed Saori, Hana, and Yuzu.
"Guess even the Corporation does not know everything," remarked Agent Copper, as the girls kept trying to twist their way out of their bonds.
"But eight spikes," said Agent Tin. "From eight girls. Well, this is one big bounty we've got."
"What are you going to do with us?" Momo again roared.
"You know," said Agent Copper nonchalantly. "We've been wondering the same thing. We follow orders, and the order was loud and clear..."
"Go and capture any source of interference," said Agent Tin. "Well, it surprises me that a group of big-eyed girls from a different dimension could hold such a power, although we did hear a rumor of our boss capturing a human from the 'other side.'"
"Other side?" all eight girls responded. "And power?"
The word "power" somehow gave them some strength; they really need it now...
"Even you girls do not know it, huh?" remarked Agent Copper.
"Don't tell them too much," said Agent Tin. "Or else they could break their own fragile bodies."
Momo growled, while the other girls raised an eyebrow at the man's comments.
"Say," Agent Copper said, kicking the poor Mako, who was trying to sleep. "What now? Our communications have been blocked for some reasons, and the only option is that one of us stands guard, while the other goes to reconnect with our base."
"Base..." Yukari pondered.
"How many times did I tell you," said Agent Tin, growling to his face. "That Fort Corpa is not our base anymore?"
Yukari sighed.
"It was, wasn't it?" asked Copper.
"Let's get to the point," said Tin. "OK, we found eight girls, who are the source of the interference spike, and they harbor a good amount of power that even we cannot comprehend. Fortunately, the girls do not understand it either, so we are safe for now."
"But why does the Corporation want the girls?" asked Copper.
"Hello?" said Tin sarcastically. "Interference is this mysterious essence that allows us to do the unthinkable? And we're paid handsomely to do this, remember?"
"Very much so," said Copper. "I am looking forward to an early retirement. Eight spikes of interference are more than enough for a lifetime vacation."
"And why," began Anzu, using that same tone of manipulation she did before. "Do you like interference so much?"
"It pays well," Copper answered curtly.
"But do you know how to use it?" asked Anzu slyly.
"Shut up, puny girl," growled Tin.
"Well, a puny girl like me need some discipline, do I?" asked Anzu, pretending to be offended.
Unbeknownst to the Agents, Miho was slowly cutting off her rope with a retractable knife, given to her by Saori, who had it in her pouch. A while ago, while the agents were using a watch to check the girls' "interference," Miho got a tug from Saori, who motioned with her eyes to look at her right pouch. Noticing the knife, Miho carefully grabbed it with her bound hands, and started to cut her bond. Seeing this, Anzu and her crew winked at Miho, who nodded back in return.
"You want discipline?" asked Tin, pressing the same button to send another pulse of energy. All eight girls winced, but resisted the urge to scream. Miho almost cut her own delicate hands as a result; fortunately, she cut off one of the ropes. She then leaned on Saori and Yukari, in order to hide her effort.
"That's one shock," grunted Anzu.
"Well," Agent Copper said. "We'll need a ride back, but the **** police car is stuck in the weeds."
"Eh?" asked Yukari. "What happened?"
"Stuck in the weeds," said Agent Copper. "And crashed into a ditch."
"Including our own," added in Agent Tin. "You girls like to nose into things, eh?"
"Ditch?" asked the girls.
"What?" Agent Tin asked. "Are you surprised?"
"There was no ditch when we're here," said Saori.
"Well, stupid girls," began Agent Copper. "How will we..."
Everybody heard something, and stared at the gate. A white Honda Accord came up out of the hill, rolling in and stopping in front of the group. A young teenage boy stepped out, stretching.
"Ah!" said Mason. "Good afternoon, say, I saw two cars and a cruiser in a ditch of sort. And frien...eh?"
He first noticed the unconscious body of the police officer, who was to the left of his car. He then noticed the two agents in black suits. He finally noticed eight girls bound in slightly glowing ropes.
It didn't take long for Mason to figure out what was going on.
"So," he began. "I guess I am arrested, too?"
The Agents blinked, clearly shocked at his reaction. They expected him to flee in the car, so they touched a hidden button on their left sides. Miho, Mako, and Anzu noticed this. However, Mason's remark took the agents off-guard, giving Miho enough time to cut all of her ropes except for one.
"Well," began Mason. "What are you-uf!"
Making glances at each other, the Agents decide that a car nearby was better than nothing, and slammed poor Mason to the car.
"Ouch!" he roared. "Don't dent my car, or especially the girls!"
"We'll borrow your car," said Agent Copper.
"You men definitely arrest like police officers," groaned Mason. "But you're not, by the way you bound my friends around!"
"Who are you?" asked Agent Copper, using his watch to check him. "Hmm, just an ordinary human."
"****, ***** ****** *****," said Agent Tin.
"Sorry?" asked Mason. "I am not Chinese."
"Oh," Tin realized. "Well then, ****** ***** *****."
The girls growled at that part. Although Mason did not understand what they were saying, the girls knew them loud and clear.
"He. Is. Our. Friend!" Yukari retorted. "And he's not Japanese, either!"
"Watch your language, perverts!" Saori roared.
"An ugly use of Japanese profanity," Hana bluntly said, and all three Turtle girls nodded in affirmation.
"For an American," Anzu growled. "You two men sure seem more Nazi than American."
The two agents glared at Anzu, as they cuffed Mason down.
"Now, little boy," said Agent Copper, slapping him on the head.
"Ouch!" Mason winced.
"Your parents never spanked you, eh?" taunted Agent Tin, kicking him.
This time, Mason bit his mouth shut; he realized that the agents were mocking him. Miho gritted her teeth, trying to hold her anger.
"You know perfectly well," said Mason. "That you are NOT treating me well."
"Of course," Agent Copper sneered, as Miho worked frantically to cut the last rope, which turned out to be harder than she thought.
"And let us be civil," mocked Agent Tin.
"Who ARE you?" asked Agent Copper again.
"Why do you want to know?" asked Mason. "If you're going to erase my memories?"
The girls gasped. Miho stared, then frantically tried to cut her last rope.
Crack.
The knife broke.
"No use of that blade, now," mocked Agent Copper, smiling maliciously.
Miho gasped.
"That rope is impossible to break," said Agent Tin. "Partially made with diamonds, especially the last rope. And the memory eraser is ready to be used."
"You got it," Agent Copper answered, holding the same silver-gray rod out. Its blue light started to flash.
"We can check your driver's license," said Agent Tin, as he opened the front door. Mason slammed it shut.
"Tell me my rights," said Mason, growling. "As any police officer should do."
The agents growled.
"Alright," Agent Tin grunted, as Agent Copper started to ready his memory eraser. The rod started to flash, ready to fire.
"You," began Agent Tin.
Miho sweated, then remembered about that "interference" thing as "power."
"Are."
Miho then stood up. The agents ignored her.
"To."
Miho then physically tensed her muscles, trying to rip the rope by force.
"Remain."
Miho turned red in the face, as the rope slowly started to break apart.
"Silent," finished Agent Tin, as the Agent Copper pressed the button.
A huge flash of light shot from the rod...
"What the..."
The two agents stood there, stunned. Everything was silent all around; even the birds stopped chirping, as the flash of light seemed to fill the entire area around the Motel.
However, Mason was nowhere in front of them. Agent Copper then snapped out of his trance, and shook his partner.
"Hey!" he replied. The two then turned around. All girls were there, still bound, except-
"Just in time," a panting voice replied.
The agents looked around, then looked up.
Two figures were on the roof of the motel. One was sitting down, his hair messy from the restraining hands of the agents. He fixed his glasses carefully. The other was standing straight and tall, her hands clenched. Her soft, light brown eyes glared at the agents below.
"You shall not pass," she slowly said, her voice tinged with indignant calm.
"Little girl," Agent Copper said. "You are one strong girl."
"How was that possible?" Agent Tin asked. "Even the fastest dodges cannot dodge that flash!"
Miho took out something from her right hand, holding it out. It flashed in the afternoon sun, glaring down upon the agents.
"Thank you, Saori-chan," said Miho. "For letting me borrow your mirror."
"You're welcome!" Saori answered.
"A mirror?" asked Momo.
"A hand mirror," answered Mako. "Nice one."
"You!" Agent Copper roared. "What the ****! How did a mirror manage to absorb that?"
"He's right," Anzu said. "A mirror only reflects, but cannot...wait, Miho, did you?"
Miho smiled, as she waved the mirror. It radiated a faint, blue glow.
"No way," Agent Copper stared, flabbergasted. Then, he checked his memory eraser.
"She stole it," Agent Tin declared.
"Not stole," said Miho. "The mirror absorbed it."
"How did a normal mirror," said Agent Copper. "Not only manage to deflect it, but also absorb it?"
"You said something about 'interference,'" said Miho. "So, I guess that it was your idea of 'power.' Hearing that, I speculate that our 'power' is the same as the one you use to erase memories. But, not sure whether it could harm me, I decide to 'wish' that it will remain in the mirror."
"So our memory eraser is useless now," said Agent Copper, gritting his teeth.
"Actually," said Miho. "It still works, as long as it stays intact. The mirror temporarily absorbed it; I don't really know how, except that I just 'wished' that it would. Also, you men refer to this 'interference,' as if it's some sort of magic. I read a few manga books, enough to give me ideas on this 'interference.'"
"Cool!" Yukari yelled out.
"Nice move," Anzu complimented.
"Just kick them away!" Momo screamed. "We'll try to WISH that we can free from our grasp!"
"It does not work that way," Mako grunted. "Sometimes, it works. It's sort of 'limited wish-granting,' if I put it correctly."
"Mason," said Miho, giving him the mirror. "Hold this."
"You go girl," he replied, holding out his right hand in a fist bump. Miho blinked.
"Fist bump," he explained. "Another American way of high-five and handshake. It looks more...'military' and awesome."
Miho smiled, and gave him the fist bump with her left hand. She then jumped down gracefully, and faced the two agents.
The whole sky was gray, except for a single hole in the clouds. The afternoon sun managed to pierce through, its lonely ray of light flashing on the Motel below. Birds, silent before, started to chirp. Vultures started to fly over the motel.
Miho stretched her back and arms, while cracking her fists.
"Now," she said. "Let's get through this."
Oh, what will happen? Who will win?
Anyway, thank you to everyone who not only PM's me, but also reviews this chapter! Please review this, giving me any advice that helps.
Plus, favorite AND follow. I don't know why the FanFiction separates the two apart, but do both, just in case.
And panzer vor!