Chapter 12- Star Hockey Players Run Arcades Now?
As Gorion was about to dig into his food, Tanetris cleared his throat, drawing the attention of both the kitsune and human. "Excuse me," he said, "Mr. Gorion, you have come into my house uninvited, and I do not recall having offered the hospitality of my food except to Karu here. Unless I see a MegaTokyo Police-issued badge and a search warrant that has been thoroughly reviewed my lawyer, you are illegally trespassing in my home, and I suggest you move along right now before I call the police. I don't know what you're used to in the US, but the MegaTokyo Police Department handles creatures the size of your football stadiums on a regular basis, they would have no problem with you. And don't even think of taking the food with you. Goodbye."
Finished his tirade, Tanetris picked Gorion up by the collar, opened the front door, and tossed him out into the middle of the street where he narrowly dodged a bus. Tanetris slammed the door shut and locked it, then fell back onto the couch where he was sitting. He felt another tension-headache coming on strong.
*******
From Spacy's home, out walked a little girl. She walked by a tree in the lawn, and shot it a glance as she went by, but didn't say anything.
All was silent for about five seconds, then a red-haired face dropped out of the leaves, hanging from a branch. Skinny arms lowered a pair of binoculars to its eyes. It was Snicker.
Peering through the window, Snicker saw a startling striped werewolf and a cat talking excitedly.
Snicker reached up to his belt (in case I'm doing this badly, he's hanging upside down, knees locked around a tree branch) and grabbed a walkie-talkie. He lowered it to his face and turned it on, not giving the person on the other end a chance to speak before talking. "d00d, 7|-|3 74rg37 |-|45 b33n 5ig|-|73d."
"Beg pardon?" Came the voice on the other line.
Switching languages effortlessly, Snicker repeated his message in further detail. "I found the person you're looking for." He gave the address and the voice on the other end crowed.
"Yes!"
"Hey, why you 'werewolves anonymous' or whatever the hell you are want to find this guy, anyway?"
"Long story. Say, you did remember to use the scent bead we gave you, right?"
Suddenly, the werewolf turned and stared directly at Snicker.
"Damn. Knew I forgot somethin'."
"You fool! Now he knows we're coming!"
"Oh." Snicker was silent for a split second. "I still get my thousand yen, right?"
"Why should we pay you?! You've blown it-"
"d00d," Snicker reverted to l33t to let the person on the other end know he was serious. "3y3 n33d 7|-|47 m0n3y f0r b33r. W|-|3n 3y3 d0n'7 g37 m4|-| b33r, 3y3 g37 pi553d."
There was a long pause on the other end of the line. "You're one of those leet freaks, aren't you?" The voice was cracked.
"j0."
The voice cleared its throat. "Your money will be available at the office, sir."
l33t-inflicted individuals, while not good in long-term thinking, were quick for the moment. "3y3 dunn0, d00d, 3y3 7|-|ink 3y3'm pr377y pi553d already."
"Because of the...um...added danger of being discovered, you'll get an extra...100 percent!"
"200, d00d, 0r j00 l053 4n 4rm."
"Of course!" The voiced sounded pained. Snicker smiled and retreated to the tree. He wasn't fond of this particular job, and he personally hoped the werewolf did get away. He hated bloody money. But he did need his b33r.
*******
Wizard of Kitty waited...and waited...and waited for BG to answer her. She sighed and then decided to wave her arms in front of his face. "Hilo? Anyone home?" Still, no answer.
She grabbed out a sign and held it in front of him. It said, "You still here?" She waved it a little bit, then gave up with that idea.
Then she came up with the most hideous idea of all. She grabbed out pink bunny ears and put it on his head and then painted whiskers on his face.
She took a few steps waiting for him to be in some sort of rage.
*******
Moore was jumping from building to building and spotted.
"Are those.... pink... rabbit ears?" Moore said. "...No-no just move on, wait a minute that's BG, who's that with him?"
Moore crept close to the edge of the building.
"That's certainly BG, but who's that with him, I've seen her before but where?"
His tail now wagging from side to side showed his curiosity he slowly climbed down the building keeping hidden and watching his fellow warrior and the girl next to him.
"I recognize her, that's WoK."
*******
After dusting himself off Gorion walked back to the apartment door and talked just loud enough to be heard clearly.
"Sorry that was rude of me. I should have asked before taking the kitsunes hospitality as yours. Oh by the way I do have a MegaTokyo police badge. Like that changes anything."
He waits a couple of seconds.
"I am truly sorry. Perhaps we did start things off on the wrong foot."
*******
Derian Hatcheter emerged from the Arena into the gathering dusk. He inhaled the cool night air, and sighed. He had been here for a few years, and was still surprised by this city.
The war, and the kidnapping of Kimiko that followed a short time later, had scarred the city. No civilians were anywhere to be seen while the battles raged. Now, it was teeming with life. Streets full of cars, sidewalks full of people, brightly-lit storefronts, all a testament to the resiliency that is MegaTokyo.
It was reflected in his team. They had struggled before that time, but since the fighting (and Derian's suspension for missing a game) had ended, they were undefeated in 10 games. That's right, the MegaTokyo Gamers had vaulted to the top of the Japan Hockey League, and played to sell out crowds every time.
Derian stepped out onto the street. It was crowded, but he had no trouble walking quickly. Being a gaijin in a city full of them was nothing special, but being six-and-a-half feet tall got you noticed. Having a black eye or stitches on your face was that much more impressive. Light brown hair, gray eyes, and a goatee rounded the whole "stick out like a sore thumb" routine.
He walked briskly down the street. One of the other results of the war was that he was now the proprietor of an arcade. The K. A., they called it. They being the soldiers of the former Kimiko Army. The troops sold their weapons for arcade games and Mosh Mosh Revolution machines while Diet Water Czar, their leader, and Derian were rescuing Kimiko from the clutches of the nefarious Dom.
Derian made his way through the arcade, past the rows of flashing lights and blaring punk music. He slipped though an unmarked door to the back area. He stopped into his office briefly, checked his email, then made his way to the meeting room.
"Hey, Hatch," greeted him, from several different sources, in a few different languages. One thing about MegaTokyo is you don't have to speak Japanese here. Everybody understands everybody else.
"'Sup, fellas. What's happenin' tonight?"
He was given a brief run-down of business information:
One of the Mortal Combat machines was out, after a ninja got mad about being beaten by a Swedish kid. Probably one of Derian's teammates.
Only one MMR injury in the last 48 hours, but it was a pretty nasty concussion.
Plans were coming along well to build a paintball field on the roof of the warehouse/arcade.
Still no success in the negotiations to get an Anna Miller's opened in the Arcade.
And then the important stuff:
Kimiko, Erika, DietWaterCzar, and Cornielius the Rent-a-zilla had departed MegaTokyo that morning, for a much-needed vacation.
"Who would you guys rather have a chaperone," Derian asked, "Rent-a-zilla, or Erika?"
Rent-a-zilla was the unanimous answer.
And then current events:
"The incident in the harbor seems to be a lot bigger than we thought," explained Ishi, a native MTer. "There seems to have been drastic effects within the werewolf circles. Others are also out and about."
"Like who?" Derian asked.
"BGMaster has been spotted roaming the streets of MT."
"Nobody spots BG if he doesn't want to be seen. Do we know what he's up to?"
"{We have an idea}," began Henrich. He's a German, who experimented with raves before joining the Kimiko Army last year. He still had friends among the Mihoists.
"{Rumor has it there is some infighting among the senior leadership of the Miho Cult. It looks like others are jealous of BGMaster's close relationship with Miho}."
"Looks like Vorpal Blade wasn't the only bad apple over there," Derian remarked.
"{Also, a shadowy figure has occasionally been seen on rooftops near BGMaster. No word on whether he is an escort or a spy}."
"Escort. BG's too sharp to let a tail hang on him for more than ten seconds."
"Finally," began Pierre, a French-Canadian, and a teammate of Derian's. "Agent Takahashi, of the Himitsu Desu Police sent a message. He asked you to look into this, in your own, unique way. And he wanted to remind you, not to let a war start."
"I remember." Those were the agent's words to Derian, when they parted ways after the last battle.
"Gentlemen, we must be vigilant for the next few days. MegaTokyo is doing very well right now, all things considered. Let's try to keep it that way."
"Spread the word to all the troops, keep their ears and eyes open, and their heads down. Get me the info, and I'll act."
With that, Derian rose and left the meeting room. The others filed out after him. Pierre followed him to his office.
"It's five days until our next game," he informed Derian, in French-accented English (or is that French-accented English-accented Japanese?).
"That should be plenty of time to get this resolved." Derian sat down at his desk, pulling out his keys. "If I miss practice, tell the coach I've got the runs, or something."
He laughed, and promised to smooth things over.
Derian unlocked the bottom drawer of his desk and pulled out his weapon, Kar-B'Noh. It was a hockey stick, whose shaft collapsed to a mere ten inches. The blade had transformed into some kind of crystalline material during the last war, and glowed with a pale red light. A light which glowed from Derian's eyes, whenever he drew the weapon to fight.
Tucking it into the back of his belt, Derian put on his jacket, and walked into the coming night.
As Gorion was about to dig into his food, Tanetris cleared his throat, drawing the attention of both the kitsune and human. "Excuse me," he said, "Mr. Gorion, you have come into my house uninvited, and I do not recall having offered the hospitality of my food except to Karu here. Unless I see a MegaTokyo Police-issued badge and a search warrant that has been thoroughly reviewed my lawyer, you are illegally trespassing in my home, and I suggest you move along right now before I call the police. I don't know what you're used to in the US, but the MegaTokyo Police Department handles creatures the size of your football stadiums on a regular basis, they would have no problem with you. And don't even think of taking the food with you. Goodbye."
Finished his tirade, Tanetris picked Gorion up by the collar, opened the front door, and tossed him out into the middle of the street where he narrowly dodged a bus. Tanetris slammed the door shut and locked it, then fell back onto the couch where he was sitting. He felt another tension-headache coming on strong.
All was silent for about five seconds, then a red-haired face dropped out of the leaves, hanging from a branch. Skinny arms lowered a pair of binoculars to its eyes. It was Snicker.
Peering through the window, Snicker saw a startling striped werewolf and a cat talking excitedly.
Snicker reached up to his belt (in case I'm doing this badly, he's hanging upside down, knees locked around a tree branch) and grabbed a walkie-talkie. He lowered it to his face and turned it on, not giving the person on the other end a chance to speak before talking. "d00d, 7|-|3 74rg37 |-|45 b33n 5ig|-|73d."
"Beg pardon?" Came the voice on the other line.
Switching languages effortlessly, Snicker repeated his message in further detail. "I found the person you're looking for." He gave the address and the voice on the other end crowed.
"Yes!"
"Hey, why you 'werewolves anonymous' or whatever the hell you are want to find this guy, anyway?"
"Long story. Say, you did remember to use the scent bead we gave you, right?"
Suddenly, the werewolf turned and stared directly at Snicker.
"Damn. Knew I forgot somethin'."
"You fool! Now he knows we're coming!"
"Oh." Snicker was silent for a split second. "I still get my thousand yen, right?"
"Why should we pay you?! You've blown it-"
"d00d," Snicker reverted to l33t to let the person on the other end know he was serious. "3y3 n33d 7|-|47 m0n3y f0r b33r. W|-|3n 3y3 d0n'7 g37 m4|-| b33r, 3y3 g37 pi553d."
There was a long pause on the other end of the line. "You're one of those leet freaks, aren't you?" The voice was cracked.
"j0."
The voice cleared its throat. "Your money will be available at the office, sir."
l33t-inflicted individuals, while not good in long-term thinking, were quick for the moment. "3y3 dunn0, d00d, 3y3 7|-|ink 3y3'm pr377y pi553d already."
"Because of the...um...added danger of being discovered, you'll get an extra...100 percent!"
"200, d00d, 0r j00 l053 4n 4rm."
"Of course!" The voiced sounded pained. Snicker smiled and retreated to the tree. He wasn't fond of this particular job, and he personally hoped the werewolf did get away. He hated bloody money. But he did need his b33r.
She grabbed out a sign and held it in front of him. It said, "You still here?" She waved it a little bit, then gave up with that idea.
Then she came up with the most hideous idea of all. She grabbed out pink bunny ears and put it on his head and then painted whiskers on his face.
She took a few steps waiting for him to be in some sort of rage.
"Are those.... pink... rabbit ears?" Moore said. "...No-no just move on, wait a minute that's BG, who's that with him?"
Moore crept close to the edge of the building.
"That's certainly BG, but who's that with him, I've seen her before but where?"
His tail now wagging from side to side showed his curiosity he slowly climbed down the building keeping hidden and watching his fellow warrior and the girl next to him.
"I recognize her, that's WoK."
"Sorry that was rude of me. I should have asked before taking the kitsunes hospitality as yours. Oh by the way I do have a MegaTokyo police badge. Like that changes anything."
He waits a couple of seconds.
"I am truly sorry. Perhaps we did start things off on the wrong foot."
The war, and the kidnapping of Kimiko that followed a short time later, had scarred the city. No civilians were anywhere to be seen while the battles raged. Now, it was teeming with life. Streets full of cars, sidewalks full of people, brightly-lit storefronts, all a testament to the resiliency that is MegaTokyo.
It was reflected in his team. They had struggled before that time, but since the fighting (and Derian's suspension for missing a game) had ended, they were undefeated in 10 games. That's right, the MegaTokyo Gamers had vaulted to the top of the Japan Hockey League, and played to sell out crowds every time.
Derian stepped out onto the street. It was crowded, but he had no trouble walking quickly. Being a gaijin in a city full of them was nothing special, but being six-and-a-half feet tall got you noticed. Having a black eye or stitches on your face was that much more impressive. Light brown hair, gray eyes, and a goatee rounded the whole "stick out like a sore thumb" routine.
He walked briskly down the street. One of the other results of the war was that he was now the proprietor of an arcade. The K. A., they called it. They being the soldiers of the former Kimiko Army. The troops sold their weapons for arcade games and Mosh Mosh Revolution machines while Diet Water Czar, their leader, and Derian were rescuing Kimiko from the clutches of the nefarious Dom.
Derian made his way through the arcade, past the rows of flashing lights and blaring punk music. He slipped though an unmarked door to the back area. He stopped into his office briefly, checked his email, then made his way to the meeting room.
"Hey, Hatch," greeted him, from several different sources, in a few different languages. One thing about MegaTokyo is you don't have to speak Japanese here. Everybody understands everybody else.
"'Sup, fellas. What's happenin' tonight?"
He was given a brief run-down of business information:
One of the Mortal Combat machines was out, after a ninja got mad about being beaten by a Swedish kid. Probably one of Derian's teammates.
Only one MMR injury in the last 48 hours, but it was a pretty nasty concussion.
Plans were coming along well to build a paintball field on the roof of the warehouse/arcade.
Still no success in the negotiations to get an Anna Miller's opened in the Arcade.
And then the important stuff:
Kimiko, Erika, DietWaterCzar, and Cornielius the Rent-a-zilla had departed MegaTokyo that morning, for a much-needed vacation.
"Who would you guys rather have a chaperone," Derian asked, "Rent-a-zilla, or Erika?"
Rent-a-zilla was the unanimous answer.
And then current events:
"The incident in the harbor seems to be a lot bigger than we thought," explained Ishi, a native MTer. "There seems to have been drastic effects within the werewolf circles. Others are also out and about."
"Like who?" Derian asked.
"BGMaster has been spotted roaming the streets of MT."
"Nobody spots BG if he doesn't want to be seen. Do we know what he's up to?"
"{We have an idea}," began Henrich. He's a German, who experimented with raves before joining the Kimiko Army last year. He still had friends among the Mihoists.
"{Rumor has it there is some infighting among the senior leadership of the Miho Cult. It looks like others are jealous of BGMaster's close relationship with Miho}."
"Looks like Vorpal Blade wasn't the only bad apple over there," Derian remarked.
"{Also, a shadowy figure has occasionally been seen on rooftops near BGMaster. No word on whether he is an escort or a spy}."
"Escort. BG's too sharp to let a tail hang on him for more than ten seconds."
"Finally," began Pierre, a French-Canadian, and a teammate of Derian's. "Agent Takahashi, of the Himitsu Desu Police sent a message. He asked you to look into this, in your own, unique way. And he wanted to remind you, not to let a war start."
"I remember." Those were the agent's words to Derian, when they parted ways after the last battle.
"Gentlemen, we must be vigilant for the next few days. MegaTokyo is doing very well right now, all things considered. Let's try to keep it that way."
"Spread the word to all the troops, keep their ears and eyes open, and their heads down. Get me the info, and I'll act."
With that, Derian rose and left the meeting room. The others filed out after him. Pierre followed him to his office.
"It's five days until our next game," he informed Derian, in French-accented English (or is that French-accented English-accented Japanese?).
"That should be plenty of time to get this resolved." Derian sat down at his desk, pulling out his keys. "If I miss practice, tell the coach I've got the runs, or something."
He laughed, and promised to smooth things over.
Derian unlocked the bottom drawer of his desk and pulled out his weapon, Kar-B'Noh. It was a hockey stick, whose shaft collapsed to a mere ten inches. The blade had transformed into some kind of crystalline material during the last war, and glowed with a pale red light. A light which glowed from Derian's eyes, whenever he drew the weapon to fight.
Tucking it into the back of his belt, Derian put on his jacket, and walked into the coming night.