Chapter 11: The Dark Stars

(camera fades in to aerial view of Tokyo) [It's been an eventful week for our friends so far. To recap… (freeze frame of Kaito and Miku in Miku's apartment) Here's Kaito getting a call from Meiko at Miku's apartment. (freeze frame of Rin and Len crashing into Meiko's house) Here's Rin and Len running over Kaito and crashing their road roller into Meiko's house. (freeze frame of narrator arguing with Gakupo) Here's me arguing with Gakupo over the role of the narrator. (freeze frames of embarrassing footage of the narrator rapidly flash) And here-hey, how'd that get in-who posted-Okay. Who's in charge of the freeze frames?1 All right. (camera cuts to Vocaloids exiting the restaurant they were at) Anyway, we find our friends returning to Crypton Studios, happy to be together again]

Meiko: Ah, that was great, Gakupo. You really outdid yourself this time.

Miku: I just wish we could come here more often.

Gakupo: Thank you. You're too kind.

Luka: Gakupo, not to be the bringer of bad news, but that meal cost almost ¥20000.

Gakupo: Yeah, so, what's your point, Luka? (looks at Luka with a slightly seductive look in his eyes)

Luka: (rolls her eyes) Never mind.

[But in the midst of their merriment, (camera cuts to view of Suspicious Figure #5 some distance away) trouble is brewing.]

Suspicious figure #5: Oh my god. It's them. Well, it's a good thing they can't hear me.

Rin: Did you hear something?

Len: What?

Rin: It sounded like somebody just said "Oh my god. It's them. Well, it's a good thing they can't hear me."

Meiko: Yeah, I heard it too.

Suspicious Figure #5: Ugh. Well, it's a good thing they can't see me.

Kaito: Hey, look. There's somebody behind that fruit stand. (camera cuts to view of Suspicious Figure #5's head partially exposed behind a nearby fruit stand)

Miku: Why is he just sitting there?

Suspicious Figure #5: (notices the Vocaloids are headed his way; jumps out from behind the fruit stand) Nice try, but you'll never get me to reveal the location of our secret hideout. Never!

Kaito: What secret hideout?

Suspicious Figure #5: Ugh. Tricky beast. You got me to reveal information.

Luka: What are you talking abo-?

Suspicious Figure #5: Well, you can't catch what (pulls out a smoke bomb) you can't see! (throws the smoke bomb at the ground, which detonates and generates a thick cloud of smoke)

All: (cough) (cough) Where'd he go? What's with the smoke bombs? Did you see him? I can't see anything. Kaito-san? Ooh, ninja. Is that you? Etc.

Suspicious Figure #5: (reappears beside the restaurant door) Ha! Another successful evasion. I'd say I've (turns around) done… (sees the Vocaloids staring at him) Aw, crap. (pulls out another smoke bomb and detonates it on the ground, generating a thick cloud of smoke) (reappears beside the fruit stand) Ha ha ha… (turns around; sees the Vocaloids staring at him) Aw, crap. (pulls out another smoke bomb and detonates it on the ground, generating a thick cloud of smoke) (reappears beside the restaurant door) Ha ha ha… (turns around; sees the Vocaloids staring at him) Aw, crap. (pulls out another smoke bomb and detonates it on the ground, generating a thick cloud of smoke) (reappears beside the fruit stand) Ha ha ha… (turns around; sees the Vocaloids staring at him) Aw, crap. (pulls out another smoke bomb and detonates it on the ground, generating a thick cloud of smoke) (reappears beside the restaurant door) Ha ha ha… (turns around; sees the Vocaloids staring at him) Aw, crap. (pulls out another smoke bomb and detonates it on the ground, generating a thick cloud of smoke)

Meiko: All right. I've had about enough of this. (picks up a watermelon from the fruit stand, then raises it over her head)

Suspicious Figure #5: (reappears beside the fruit stand) Ha ha-

(Meiko slams the watermelon on Suspicious Figure #5's head, knocking him out; the watermelon splits in half)

Rin: Yay! Watermelon! Watermelon!

Len: What was that for?

Rin: Oh, nothing. I just felt like saying that.

Miku: Shouldn't you have paid for that first, Meiko-san?

Meiko: Aw, crap! Oh, well. I'll just pay the owner when he gets here.

(camera cuts to view of Suspicious Figure #1 on the rooftop of a building, looking through a pair of binoculars)

Suspicious Figure #1: (sigh) (lowers binoculars) That's the last time I hire ninja fanatics to do a retrieval job. He didn't even go for the right person. (prepares com link)

(pause) [This is Black Rock Shooter2. She's a bounty hunter and scientist of many disciplines. Her true identity and motives are as yet unknown, even to her subordinates in her organization, the Dark Stars.] (resume)

Black Rock Shooter: Black Rock Shooter to Red Baron, have you located the target? (pause) Black Rock Shooter to Red Baron, do you copy? (pause; closes com link; prepares com link) Black Rock Shooter to Night Root, have you located the target?

Voice: Negative, Suspicious Figure #1, eh, I mean Black Rock Shooter. Seriously, why can't I just go by Suspicious Figure #2? It's much harder to guess who I am if you call me that.

Black Rock Shooter: True, but it gives away your intentions more easily. Can you confirm Red Baron's location? He's not responding to my com link.

Voice: I last saw him headed into an abandoned warehouse in pursuit of the target, and he never came out. Why are we chasing this robot again?

Black Rock Shooter: That's of no concern to you. Retrieve Red Baron and report back to base ASAP.

Voice: Copy. Over and out. (com link closes)

Black Rock Shooter: Why do I have to work with amateurs?

[Why indeed? What motives could she possibly have for acquiring this target she speaks of? Where do all of these people keep coming from? Who is the mysterious stranger in the black cloak running around Tokyo? What could this mean for Miku and her friends? And…where'd that guy get so many smoke bombs? Stay tuned for the next chapter of Project Vocaloid.]

1 Sorry, sir. I just couldn't resist.

2 I'm not sure whether Black Rock Shooter counts as part of the Vocaloid universe or not, but I assume she is, judging from the fact that there's a Vocaloid song about her.