Mediziner's Notes: I almost missed a month by a hair... But I conquered over my Writer's block before the next month rolled in! ...Honestly I have a difficult time with some of the human characters, but I do need to try and include them more aside from just Yuuta... But I'm trying as I go.
This Chapter was originally uploaded: 29/3/2019 on DeviantART.
The Leader Within Cover Art is drawn and commissioned by Erilmadith-Everyoung on DeviantART. You can also find Radiant Prism's full reference there, too.
Enjoy!
...
"Bloody traffic..." Duke muttered to himself as he stepped out of the lift once it reached it's destination. Deckerd had woken him up earlier than usual due to the fact that Deckerd had the unfortunate luck of having caught himself in a heavy traffic jam while on his way back from dropping off Yuuta at school. Because the Brave Detective said that he could not see the source of the traffic jam from his location, Duke immediately believed a few possible common reasons, but didn't sit with any of them as he rubbed his face with a heavy sigh. "I need to see if I don't have patrol today..." He muttered to himself just as he entered the office. The Englishmech paused in place when he noticed that the Build Team were already in the office. His attention drawn immediately to their desks with papers scattered all over the four desks. Some of them having fallen to the floor.
Setting his pencil down, Drill Boy was clearly annoyed as he passed over the paper he had been drawing on to McCrane. "It's done... So how's this one?" He watched, knowing that both Dumpson and McCrane were going to tell him to draw them yet another schematic as.
"This drawing is much closer than what we're aiming for." McCrane nodded after giving himself a minute or two to look over the paper as he set the paper down to let both Dumpson and Power Joe see. "This is going to be the new main schematic we're going to use." He then turned his attention to the messy desk, moving some papers as he searched for one in particular until he found what he was looking for. Both Dumpson and Power Joe studied the drawing, the latter pointing at a particular spot in the drawing. "I'm thinking that if we add a storage area here, or right here can be a goot spot to store our fuel. We also need to consider that with Radiant Prism on the team, we'll need to have two storage areas to separate our usual petrol fuel from her jet fuel."
Dumpson nodded, speaking next. "I'm thinking if we can have a few sitting places here, and perhaps along the walls along over there instead of just one spot with a few tables." He suggested, pointing to particular spots in the drawing. Power Joe then noticed something as he spoke up. "We need to consider that if someone's looking for us and we aren't in the office, we should think of having a little small area for Boss and the others to have access to so they could speak to us up from a balcony. I wouldn't suggest it on the same level though like in the offices but I'd like to propose a change to where the balcony would be built at our optic level so this way we don't have to crane our necks down and they don't have to look up at us all the time."
Grabbing a sticky note and a pencil, McCrane began to jot down important things suggested before peeling it off of the stack and applying it to the side of the paper. Dumpson and Power Joe also began doing the same thing with their desk sticky notes and also applying it to the paper. Curious as to what the others wrote, Drill Boy got up as he looked at the paper they had applied the sticky notes to, frowning when he noticed the proposed height of the balcony for the humans.
"No! The proposed balcony level is way too high!" Drill boy exclaimed, pouting as his drill pauldrons drooped. "I won't be able to see Yuuta or even both Commissioners without having to stand on something... Can't we suggest the balcony height to maybe be at around my optic level instead so I could see him and the others?"
"Build Team, what are you doing?" Everyone's attention was immediately drawn away from their work then they heard their second in command announce his presence as he approached their desks. Not needing to pick up any of the papers, Duke zoomed his vision closer to get a glimpse of some of the drawings which contained old concepts of a floor schematic and furniture placing ideas. "...What are all these schematics for?" He asked.
"It's a place for where we can refuel without being in the way of the mechanics, considering how crowded things get once the Chief and his mechanics start filing in for work every morning." Power Joe explained. "It's been on McCrane's mind after when he saw some of us were having a bit of trouble maneuvering around whenever the mechanics were moving their equipment around, added we need a lot more space to walk around than they do."
"Hmm... That doesn't seem like a bad idea to have a place to ourselves without any obstacles in our path..." Duke replied as he looked more closely when McCrane showed him the paper, impressed of how much detail had gone into them. Noticing the signature off to the corner, he was impressed with how talented of an artist Drill Boy was. "I see, however considering the space we have, this looks like it would have to be done underground." His attention peeled away from the drawing. "However, you would need to hear approval from the Commissioner and Vice-Commissioner."
"We've already sent them both a message about the proposed extra room not too long ago." Dumpson chimed in. "But we don't have a response yet. Power Joe suggested while we're waiting that we get the schematics drawn and finalised ahead of time if we're lucky that in the case it does get approved."
"Added they made me do all the drawing..." Drill Boy pouted with irritation.
"I see." Duke then turned his attention to his and Deckerd's desk, making his way over to Deckerd's seat as he booted the computer up, then began typing in a few input commands on the keyboard.
"What are you doing?" Power Joe asked, taking notice right away as the rest of the Build Team shifted their attention from their work to the Knight Detective.
Duke kept his focus on the screen as he continued to input some commands into the keyboard. "Deckerd asked me to look at who will teach Radiant Prism today, he's running a little late due to traffic." He said, beginning to search for what he needed until he found what he was looking for. Once he shut the computer down after putting everything back the way it was, he turned his attention to the Build Team.
"Power Joe, when you and the others are done with the concepts for the proposed room, you're to teach Radiant Prism the next set of lessons today." Duke said. "You have until Deckerd gets here so he can give you the assigned files for what you're to teach her."
"Oh, it's my turn today? Alright." Power Joe replied with a nod.
As Duke sat at his desk, going over his own desk computer to see who's going to be assigned to patrol duty and who would be assigned to paperwork and answering calls, the doors slid open as Radiant Prism came in alongside Gunmax, the latter taking his seat while Radiant Prism moved to go stand near the window.
"Someone's running late." Gunmax commented, knowing it wasn't like Deckerd to be this late to assign everyone's work for the day.
"Traffic jam." Duke replied, suppressing his annoyance with the Motorcycle Detective painfully butchering the English language as he just finished listing everyone for who's going out on patrol and who's staying to do paperwork. "He should be here shortly, I've been told he's almost here." His attention returned to the listing as he felt relieved that he fortunately had to do paperwork today but what was also at the same time unfortunate for him was that Gunmax was also thrown in the list of doing paperwork... Mentally, he cursed to himself as he'd have to deal with Gunmax's random bursts of English. '...I should have moved him to patrol again...' He thought to himself as he was in no mood for giving the green Brave an earful of a yell should he dare prod at what little patience he had about it.
A little while later, Deckerd finally came into the office as he apologised for being so late as he made his way over to his desk, catching up on what was supposed to have been done by now and soon afterwards some of the members began leaving for patrol, while Power Joe was tasked to begin teaching Radiant Prism as he's transferred the list of things to teach her to his desk computer.
-Hey Deckerd, mind if I could teach Radiant Prism out on the rooftop?- Power Joe asked via private communications after looking over the list.
-Eh?- Deckerd's attention turned to Power Joe.
The Kung-Fu Detective jabbed his thumb in the direction of where Radiant Prism was, who had been looking out the window. -Figured since she's been staring at the window for quite a while since coming in here, I think it'd be a better idea that she's been given more outside time. Think it might do her good, and the winds are calm today.-
-Of course, go right ahead.- Replied the Brave Detective.
As Power Joe left with Radiant Prism, immediately, Deckerd noticed that he hadn't seen Shadowmaru since he came inside. "Duke, have you seen Shadowmaru? I haven't seen him since I arrived."
"No, I haven't seen him since waking up from recharge." Came the reply.
Drill Boy, who had been assigned to do paperwork today suddenly piped up. "Actually Shadowmaru left a note on one of my wings." He said, bringing the note out of his storage compartment with the use of his small appendages as he handed it over to the two Braves. "Something about that he has some important work to do and won't be available today and possibly tomorrow... Whatever other work he's doing, maybe it could have something to do with that one criminal that escaped, possible clues and hints about the plane incident, or... Maybe even the foreign trio that defeated us?"
Deckerd frowned at the thought of that all three criminals were still very much at large, yet felt ashamed that the Brave Police as a whole haven't captured and arrest either of them and putting them behind bars. He especially thought about in particular with what to do the trio once they captured them as they weren't from Japan but another country. 'I should inquire the Commissioner about if he's heard about any reports from the country that the trio of criminals had fled here to Japan...' He thought, beginning to take his leave to begin patrol knowing that with a team member short, he would have to do patrol again today so it wasn't just Dumpson and McCrane patrolling the city themselves.
At the same time, he felt that the more optics that were keeping watch over the city in case the German trio attacked again, the better to keep them from completely trashing the place.
...
Waiting at a red light, Dumpson kept a watchful optic for anything suspicious though had nothing to report thus far. Just a few minutes ago, he and McCrane heard from Deckerd that he was going to patrol again so that it wasn't just the two doing all the patrolling by themselves, to which he felt rather happy about since Shadowmaru had left in the middle of the night so the team had been a member short. 'Good to have more optics keeping watch for anything that could be out of sight or far from our locations.' He thought. When the lights turned green, he continued onward as his visuals focused briefly on the traffic lights, mentally chuckling to himself, remembering two years ago when he first met Ayako. Speaking of which, he hasn't seen her for a few days and the last time he checked to see if she was at home, but had been met with closed blinds which meant she wasn't there and it also seemed to become a habit of her co-workers on their own accord where they'd tell him if she's there or she was out whenever he visited her work place. Everyone there had also became aware how close friends the two were.
When she wasn't there, he wasn't surprised, her being gone for few days looking into a scoop when she hears about something of interest was a regular thing for her considering what she does. He was well aware that Ayako could handle herself, and had even been told by some of her co-workers that she's sometimes gotten herself into certain situations occasionally but always manages to come out unscathed. What took him completely by surprise was when he visited Ayako the one time when she was home, she showed him that she was given a communicator badge similar to Yuuta's, except that hers was a more downgraded version which only functioned as a device that was only for emergencies in case she got into some serious trouble.
'Knowing the Commissioner, he probably arranged giving her the ability to contact me...' He thought to himself, feeling slightly embarrassed as he stopped at the next red light. Dumpson didn't see it as a bad thing, but knowing that Ayako had something that she could use to alert him and the others that something's wrong, he wouldn't hesitate to get to her right away. As he waited, he idly scanned the area around him quietly then relaxed as everything seemed normal from his location. 'Everything's clear so far here...' He thought.
"Dumpson!"
Snapped out of his thoughts, the Wrestler Detective immediately noticed Ayako off to the left waving at him as the sight of her warmed his heart. Admittedly, he had grown to miss her quite often though he couldn't bring himself to say that aloud, knowing the woman would begin teasing him into embarrassment.
He also couldn't bring himself to say that he had additionally grown quite fond of her, fearing what she'd think or dismiss it as some joke.
A few people behind him began honking their horns as the Brave noticed the light was green as he quickly moved forward in a hurry, apologising to the other drivers. Immediately he pulled into a nearby small yet fairly empty parking lot to give himself a moment as he sighed in disappointment with having not paid attention to the traffic lights. His visuals focused to Ayako when she came into view, having caught up with him. "Are you okay, Dumpson? You looked like you must have forgotten to look at the traffic light or spaced out."
"I'm fine... Just..." He paused, glad that she couldn't see his face as he averted his visuals. "Work has been a little stressful..." He finished, resisting the urge to cringe as he hated to lie but it wasn't in his place to tell her that some criminals had been giving him and the others a rough time.
"Work has it's moments of never being stress free sometimes, I know the feeling very well." She replied with a nod. "Ah, mind if I could speak with you privately inside your cabin? I promise I won't take up much of your time but it's really important." Ayako asked after a moment, changing the subject.
"What about?" Dumpson replied curiously.
"I don't think I'd like for the public to hear about this." Came the response as she glanced over her shoulder as a car drove into the parking lot.
Knowing that this must be serious, Dumpson willingly opened his cabin door for her as she climbed in. Once he shut the door, Ayako made sure that no one was trying to hear in on what was going on. "What is it that you wanted to talk about in private, Ayako-san?" He asked her.
Ayako then reached for one of her pockets as she pulled out a picture, showing it to Dumpson. "I wanted to ask you in private if you could maybe give me any info you have on who is this new member? One of my co-workers sent this to me yesterday before they left the city to go on their vacation. Sorry if the angle might be a bit hard to see, they were in a hurry to get to their destination before nightfall."
Looking at the picture Dumpson zoomed his visuals closely onto the picture, trying to make out the picture better until when he realised who exactly was in the picture.
"That's Radiant Prism." He told her. Taking note of what was in the background, it looked like she might have been flying around above the station.
"Radiant Prism? He's sure got an interesting name. What else could you tell me more about him? This would make for an interesting scoop about the Brave Police having a new member to the team. When was he constructed?"
"Well, that is..." Dumpson wasn't sure how to explain, having to think for a moment. "For starters, Radiant Prism... Came from somewhere else, she isn't from Japan."
"She?" The reporter repeated, surprised. "You're saying that Radiant Prism is a girl?"
"Yes, though she's... Not willing to see anyone at the moment."
"Why?"
Dumpson hesitated as he heavily sighed. "She's uncomfortable when humans get too close to her, because of her backstory. Out of respect it's not in my place to tell what happened. That would be something you'll have to ask Radiant Prism herself when we're able to help her start trusting people more. She has somewhat warmed up a bit to Boss but not completely, her discomfort of being around humans as a whole is still clearly evident that it will be a long process in getting her to trust humans again."
"Scared of humans? That's... Unusual..." The reporter was surprised by this information as she wanted to know why was that the case. But when she was met with hesitant silence, she shook her head knowing it was better to drop the question. "Well, this information you've given me is more than enough for a solid scoop." Ayako smiled, moving to exit out of his cabin as she made her way over in front of Dumpson so that he could see her. "It may not be as much as I hoped, but it's bigger than what you might think. I should still be able to work with what you've given me." She finished.
"Sorry... That I couldn't provide all that much, Ayako-san." The Wrestler Detective muttered a little sadly.
"Dumpson, don't look so glum! The smallest of help doesn't mean it's not good enough." Glancing at her watch, she then turned her attention back to the red and yellow Brave. "I have to go now, I promised to meet up with some co-workers, be careful while patrolling okay?"
"Y-Yeah..."
"See you!"
Dumpson watched as Ayako left, continuing to do so for a little while until she was no longer in sight. He gave himself a moment before driving out of the parking lot and resumed his patrol.
As the afternoon rolled in, he had managed to help the human police catch a few petty criminals during his patrol while Deckerd at some point had to break off from patrol for a short while to go and pick up Yuuta from school.
-This is McCrane, nothing big to report other than I've stopped a few criminals along my patrol route. How are things on your end, Dumpson?- Came McCrane's voice through private communication.
"Dumpson here, it's the same for me." Came Dumpson's reply. "I've only stopped a few petty criminals that didn't need too much effort. However, I'm concerned that this criminal we're keeping our optics peeled for might not be somewhere loose in the city but elsewhere. I haven't heard any reports of interest through the radio police chatter either..."
-I see...-
"Something on your mind?"
-Not really, I'm just concerned about how vulnerable the skies are... Shadowmaru's absent attending to a mission of his specialty only, while Drill Boy's doing paperwork back at the station.- The Combat Detective replied with a sigh. -The sooner Radiant Prism's lessons on our culture and laws are completed to the point of being fit to work alongside us, the more comfortable I'll feel about the skies having an extra pair of wings in the sky so something like this does not happen again.-
"With her learning fast, it may not be too long until she can finally patrol with us." Dumpson pointed out.
-Eeeeeeeey, Drill Boy here!- Called out Drill Boy through the communicator as the sound of familiar roaring engines could be heard.
-Drill Boy? What are you doing out here?- McCrane asked bemusedly.
-I wanted to patrol with you guys.-
-Drill Boy, you're assigned to do paperwork today.- Dumpson said.
-I'm not going back! Things were firing up between both Duke and Gunmax... They were having a riot with the english language so I had to get out of there since patrolling is more fun than hearing those two argue... Um, last I saw, Power Joe and Radiant Prism came back from lessons up on the rooftop so I think they're dealing with them right now.-
Both Dumpson and McCrane let out a frustrated sigh, knowing that it was never a good idea to put both Gunmax and Duke on paperwork duty together. After thinking things out between the two of them, they decided that they should notify Deckerd if he could attend to paperwork for the rest of the day as they explained what's going on back at the station.
...
Radiant Prism could only watch as Power Joe struggled to calm both Duke and Gunmax but it didn't seem to work as she became more and more concerned. When she and Power Joe had decided to take a break from the lessons for some fuel, they were met not too long ago with Drill Boy frantically running into the lift when it stopped on the first floor instead of ground floor exclaiming that there's a 'war' going on in the office. Upon investigating what's going on resulted in the both of them to witness Gunmax and Duke having an all-out 'language war' as Power Joe had called it, where they were supposedly bickering at one another in English, a language she does not understand.
The situation only seemed to worsen, as in the midst of Power Joe struggled and failed to calm the two Braves. Radiant Prism knew that this had to come to a stop at some point as she murmured to herself silently wishing this didn't happen to begin with.
"ENOUGH!" Radiant Prism exclaimed as her wings flared outwards. Her switching to German and clear voice was enough to cease the three Braves all at once and draw their attention towards her. "Knight, Gunmax, I may not know what has happened and I'm well aware that while I'm still not yet adjusted to working with a team but I don't need to know from other sources that this sort of behaviour is unacceptable. We're policemen, we don't fight one another, we work together."
"Miss Rookie trying to take the reigns away from Duke and Deckerd, eh? How interesting." Gunmax smirked, his irritation melting into sass.
"Reigns? Wha... What are you talking about?"
"That's not at all what you're thinking, Gunmax..." Duke pointed out with an unamused glare.
"Anyways, I'll be going out on patrol. There's some lawbreakers out there that could need a ticket or two."
"Gunmax-" Everyone watched as Gunmax left the office, and when he did, Duke heavily sighed in frustration. Sure, he never liked being around Gunmax because of his horrible destruction of his language but he always never liked it whenever the Motorcycle Detective bailed on a whim. At the same time, he was temporarily pleased with that he didn't have to hear anymore of him spouting sentences that don't make sense... At least for now.
"Normally I don't enjoy doing the same jobs with him, but today's assignment had to be adjusted due to Shadowmaru's absence on whatever he was needed for." Duke admitted after giving himself a moment to calm himself more properly.
Lowering her helm, Radiant Prism's strap decorations slowly slithered to the front of her frame. "I see... Forgive me, I-"
"No. I should have not lost my temper like that." Duke said.
-It's not the first time this happened.- Power Joe told Radiant Prism via private communication. -Sometimes Gunmax can go a little too far when he lets his mouth run, and since Duke's originally from England, he doesn't take it very lightly whenever Gunmax says some words in his language, mostly incorrect at times.-
-Why's this? Does Gunmax have a hatred for Duke?- Radiant Prism asked.
-Well... Wouldn't you get angry if someone starts saying all the words wrong or incorrectly in your language?-
Going silent, Radiant Prism hadn't need to answer that question. Not dwelling on the subject for long, she addresses Duke. "Sir, if I may, I can help finish up any unfinished paperwork Gunmax has left behind, if any."
"What about your lessons?" Duke focused his attention to Power Joe. "Power Joe, have you finished teaching all that you've been assigned to teach her?"
"We were in the midst of taking a break, when the lift stopped on this floor and Drill Boy told us both that you two were having a 'language war'." Power Joe replied. "But we're almost finished with it. She picks up on the lessons relatively quickly."
"I see..." Glancing at Gunmax's desk, the Englishmech noticed that there had been indeed some leftover paperwork to do but he wasn't sure if he should let her help out. Gunmax could do his own paperwork when he gets back.
"Knight, even if I'm not yet fit to work in the offices or patrol, I'd like to still try and help out if I can." Radiant Prism told him. "I don't mind taking my break a bit later."
Hesitating, he then sighed as he nodded. "Alright, but just to be sure I'll see how much you've progressed. Though if there's anything you're unsure of, leave it blank. Borrow one of the chairs and come here."
"Sir."
Duke wasn't sure how he could get used to Radiant Prism seeing herself at a lower rank than he and Deckerd considering that she has a crest like that of Deckerd's. Thinking for a moment, he then told Power Joe that he could go and take a break, and that this shouldn't take long and she should be available to finish her lessons for the day by the time he comes back. The Kung-Fu Detective gave a nod and excused himself to go take a break.
Duke watched as Radiant Prism began filling in the paperwork that needed attention. He decided to split some of his work with her as he had fully decided that Gunmax should be the one to finish his own paperwork. At first he was concerned that there was still not a lot that Radiant Prism knew yet. He wasn't quite sure if he'd call it by sheer luck that she had almost completed some of the papers he gave to her but from what he's seen, a lot of the decisions written on the paper seemed to be relatively suitable, not that he doubted her status as a police officer.
'Hm... Handwriting is readable and neat...' He thought, looking at some of the near completed papers.
By the time Power Joe returned back to the office, the rest of the afternoon and evening was spent with Radiant Prism finishing up the lessons with Power Joe as Duke decided to excuse himself to take a break. Some of the others had come back not too long ago and were doing their own business. From overhearing the conversation, it seemed like nobody has managed to spot any of the criminals, save for when McCrane had assisted the human police in stopping a group of motorcyclists whom had been scaring the public that resulted in many people hurt when they swerved out of the way of their large motorcycles. In the mix, it was found that the criminal involved with stealing advanced military gear that ran away from them in the chaos few days back had been found among the rowdy group.
While this was not a criminal of her particular interest, Radiant Prism was relatively pleased nonetheless that there was another criminal to throw behind bars. However, what she was greatly suspicious of was the fact that the trio hadn't been seen nor could they pick up any trails or clues about their whereabouts...
'If Shadowmaru were around, he would've possibly found the trio in a short time...' She thought. '...My suspicions seem to lead to the fact that it's highly possible that the trio might be using some sort of technology in their ship perhaps similar to that of some or even all of Shadowmaru's special equipment... I pray it's only some, and not all...'
Knowing that she needed to prove her assumption, she then looked to Deckerd, having taken notice that everyone was starting to retire early for the night. "Deckerd, may I request permission to spend some time outside to stretch my wings? I'd like to be able to see a bit more of Nanamagari City as I feel that I should familiarise myself with it's districts and areas of interest."
Glancing at the clock, Deckerd thought for a moment as he wasn't comfortable with the fact that going out at such a time could mean danger. Because Radiant Prism was still new to Japan and she hadn't exactly learned all of the laws and cultural differences compared to the ones she's used to back in Germany, he was particularly concerned about when she has to deal with a potentially challenging criminal. He did feel relatively bad that she hasn't exactly left the station at all.
"Very well, but don't stay out for too long." He finally told her, having no doubt that he was regretting this decision but also knew it wasn't good for her to stay cooped up in the station. "I'm not comfortable with the fact that the foreign criminals let alone the mysterious criminal behind the suspicious aircraft that damaged the new plane purchased by Sunrise Airlines are still at large."
"Sir." With a salute, she watched as Deckerd and everyone else that still remained began filing out to head downstairs as she joins them, needing to refuel due to having spent a lot of time earlier with helping Duke. While normally she would've gone and retired for the night, she needed to be sure that her hunch had been right about that the criminal may possibly have decided to remain inactive during the day. Once refueled, Radiant Prism glanced at the Braves whom were recharging in their vehicle modes, not wanting to open the main door in case it might make a lot of noise, she instead made her way towards the lift and pressing the button for the rooftop.
Once the lift reached it's destination and opened the doors, Radiant Prism walked out as she took in the cool, night air. The weather had grown just a tad bit windy and very small clouds were visible nonetheless relatively clear.
'Alright... Let's see if you criminals will come out at night...' She thought to herself, determined to confront the criminals if they're still hanging around somewhere within or near the city.
Getting a starting run, Radiant Prism then leapt, overshooting the fence that dotted the edges of the building. "CHANGE!" The German Brave gunned her thrusters as she flew off into the skies, ascending until she stopped at a high altitude of her choosing, immediately activating her lights to signal any planes nearby to her location. She had never thought that she could get the chance to fly freely again even though it meant that she was only out for a short time as she promised Deckerd.
Remaining at cruising speed, Radiant Prism focused her visuals down below, spotting for anything suspicious as she took mental notes about places of particular interest, stores, and the likes. Thinking about it, she realised that she hadn't really taken the time to see how beautiful the city looked at night, it's lit buildings gave her the impression of how it looked like back home.
'Such beauty... It matches like that of Dortmund's...' She thought.
As she continued to explore and see more of Nanamagari City, she then had a feeling that something, or someone was following her. She couldn't see where it was coming from, but chills ran down her frame as she began to pick up speed slightly, intending on wanting to get away from the city or at least far enough from the more popular areas that had a high population count. Reacting on her instincts, she sensed something coming towards her at high speeds as she immediately dodged, noticing the familiar mechanical arm that had attempted to grab her.
The trio of criminals laughed as they began to taunt her, revealing themselves fully from their camouflage. "I see your agility hasn't hindered since we last fought, Radiant Prism. You may have thought that this was the last time you'll see us, but you're wrong. After you bailed on us when we were only getting started, we happened to hear from a little birdie that you were all the way out here."
"I will not be beaten last time as easily as you'd think, criminals." Radiant Prism retorted, immediately switching out of her regular plane lights for her blue police ones.
"I beg to differ, because you've seen nothing yet!" They began their attack as Radiant Prism dodged every attack from their arm attacks, machine guns, rockets, and the likes. What she noticed was that they were a lot more agile compared to their last encounter where and obviously she could see that their machine was a lot more heavily armed. She needed to figure out the best course of attack as she thought back as to how did the military not manage to defeat the criminals... Or if somehow either one of her fellow allies stationed in the Northern and the Southern made it too late to assist and fled.
'Damn, if only I could turn my gatling gun towards them while dodging their attacks, at least try to slow them down a bit.' She thought to herself as she dodged an incoming barrage of bullets, flinching slightly as some of the bullets scraped or impacted her frame.
'No choice...' "CHANGE!"
In one swift movement, Radiant Prism immediately brought out her handguns upon changing out of her vehicle mode and began to fire. She had no idea where the machine's weakness was, and she couldn't let herself stay still to find any weakness in particular lest the criminal took hold of her or simply whacked her out of the skies.
"Ah, Same 'ol Radiant Prism. Your weapons aren't going to work on us no matter what you do." One of the criminals mockingly yawned as another spoke up. "We've suited up this bad boy far more than the last fight. You're no threat to us, not anymore."
Gritting her teeth, Radiant Prism began to fly around the large aircraft, having an idea that she believed would work. Deciding to get up close and personal, the criminals responded by attempting to grab her as she swiftly dodged each attempt. There had been a moment where one of her legs had been caught, but managed to pry the joints open enough before the other extended arm could grab her as it crashed into the arm that grabbed her. 'That's something...' She thought.
However before she could continue attempting to get close, what she hadn't expect was that as soon as the extended arms came after her again but as she dodged, thin wires shot out of the palm and entangled themselves around her. Attempting to free herself she suddenly shook violently, screaming in agony as electricity coursed through the wires that restrained her.
"Heh heh, thought that little trick could work?" They laughed, ceasing the electricity. "We know your moves, everything... You can't defeat us. We were prepared to destroy you completely when we heard you fled to this country." A barrage of bullets began to rain down on Radiant Prism as her frame slowly filled with holes, followed by fuel spurting out from some of the injuries.
Severely damaged, Radiant Prism cursed to herself that this had been a second time now that she's been defeated by the same trio she attempted to deal with when they were trashing the city of Essen. She swore to herself that she wouldn't let it happen a second time, yet she allowed history to repeat itself. Because of her severe damage, she failed to detect let alone even feel that the wires wrapped around her were loosening until she managed to register that she was falling out of the skies. When she was immediately caught shortly after being freed, she wondered if Deckerd and the others sensed something was wrong when she didn't return as promised...
Vision flickering, partially blinded from warnings flashing all over her HUD which showed locations of the damaged areas and more vital parts of her needing immediate repair, Radiant Prism could barely make out whoever was carrying her, and from the vague light illuminating off their faces, it was enough to know who had saved her.
"Sh... Shadow... Maru?"