Deep in the heart of the crapmed maze of houses, buildings, plumbing, construction equipment and billboards known as Rokakku-Dai Heights, underneath countless layers of mortar and drywall, lay three souls. Cube, Beat, and Jazz, once members of the best-known gang to ever hit Tokyo, were now refugees in what was their own turf until about two weeks ago. Hiding from the YGS, they had taken shelter in the most remote place they could find. With skate power and morale running low, there was not much else to do but hope for anything good to happen... and even hope was hard to come by.
"Isn't there anything we can do?" Jazz asked. "We've never been like this before. It's not like the GG's to-"
"The GG's are dead," Beat snapped. "You saw it happen. We all did. The Garage is rubble. Most of the people we knew as our family are either captured, hiding, or dead. And out of the three, I'd take dead."
"How can you say that!? As long as we keep our hope alive, we can get through this."
"I don't know what world you're living in, Jazz, but I know what I saw that day. I saw a mortar hit the ground one second, and bite-sized chunks of Roboy the next."
"Beat's right, for once," Cube muttered. "It's pretty damn grim out there. We get seen, we get shot. And aside from that, our skates are near dead, we've got no spray paint left, and we have no food or water. If hanging around with Rhyth gave you those wacky philosophies, maybe you can find some good in this pile of shit we're living, but I sure as hell can't."
Everyone was silent, as nobody could really challenge Cube. Jazz wasn't sure which she disliked more, Cube's blatant honesty, or the fact that she was right. Beat tapped on his headphones in dismay. "Oh shit..." Jazz looked up. "What?"
"Three guesses as to which pirate radio station the YGS just took down, and I bet you'll only need one."
"There goes our last hope," Cube sighed. "It's all downhill from here." Jazz had opened her mouth to say something, but Beat clamped his hand over her mouth. Jazz told Beat to get off of her through his fingers, but he pointed to the door and put his finger to his lips. Cube picked up a lead pipe by the corner, and held it tightly, as if she was trying to squeeze courage out of it. A strange scraping noise was resonating down the hallway, and it was slowly coming closer. Beat looked frantically around the room for any kind of weapon, but saw nothing. Jazz motioned for Cube to get to the side of the door. Taking her position, Cube raised the pipe into the air, ready to strike. The noise was getting progressively closer, as if it knew where to find the three survivors.
Just outside the door, the noise stopped. Everyone's heart stood still as the doorknob turned around, and the door leaned open into the hall. A gloved hand grasped the doorway. Cube was about to swing the pipe when she noticed something at the foot of the doorway- a roller skate. Rolling through the doorway, a tall figure with a gray T-shirt and wide black pants came into view. Noticing Cube to his left with a two-foot lead pipe in her grasp, he leapt back, almost falling off-balance. "Whoa! Back down, there. I'm on your side."
***
99th Street had always been a shopper's mecca. The bright lights, spraying fountains and throbbing crowds were like music to the ears of shopkeepers. But ever since the YGS had taken hold of Tokyo, 99th Street had since dimmed its' lights considerably. Now only the standard streetlights illuminated the thoroughfare at night. On top of Dragon Tower, the YGS flag now flew as a warning to anyone foolish enough to oppose them. In one of the back alleys, in a hidden warehouse, Rhyth lay shivering under a pile of cardboard boxes. "Wh-wh... why..." she stammered through frozen lips. "We were all s-so happy... why did they have to hurt us..." She was suffering from hypothermia. The cold alleys were more than a match for her short skirt, and she dared not go outside, for fear of being captured, or worse. As she clung to herself in the corner, all she could think about was how wonderful things were before the YGS had showed up. She thought about the first time Beat met her in Rokakku-Dai Heights, and followed her up onto a rooftop. She thought about how she had heard stories of the old GG's from her sister, Mew. She thought about all of the fun she had, covering Zero Beat's monochrome scribbles with pastel happiness.
None of it could happen anymore. She was alone now, and as far as she knew, everyone else was gone. As she closed her eyes, she felt a warm feeling come over her. Her body was so shocked that she passed out. As she fell into the blackness, she thought she heard a voice speaking to her. "Poor girl... we've got ya now... ...better soon... we're... ...new family..."
***
Cube, Beat, Jazz, and the mysterious new skater all sat in confused silence in the dilapidated shelter. Beat was shocked that this new guy had made it past the YGS wearing Netrium skates in broad daylight. Jazz was shocked that there were any skaters left at all. Cube was too busy trying to avoid eye contact with him. There was something about him that she just couldn't explain... almost as if... no, no. Now wasn't the time for those kind of thoughts. But still...
"So, who are you?" Beat asked.
"The name's Jho. By the way, I figured you might need these-" He pulled out six Netrium batteries, fully charged, and a few canned sodas. "I've been watching the GG's for a while now. I used to be just a foreigner around here, but I got interested. You don't know it, but I helped you kick Gouji's ass."
"Say what? I've never seen you beofre in my life," Cube shouted, then clamped her hands over her mouth. In a whisper, she continued. "How the hell could you have helped us?"
"Easy- sabotage. Remember the giant drill robot Hayashi had in Hikage Street?"
"Yeah- Clutch told us about that," Jazz chimed in.
"Guess who snuck into the warehouse and removed the leg bolts?"
"Damn," Beat said. "I thought that sounded like an easy fight. No wonder- that thing couldn't hold itself together without bolts."
"And guess who put those planks across Highway Zero..."
"Whoa," Cube said.
"And unlocking the sliding doors in Chuo Street..."
"Okay, okay. So you've been helping us," Beat said. "Why keep doing it?"
"Let's just say... I'm not exactly a fan of the police around here."
"Hm?"
"I lost my passport, and they did diddly-squat to find it. I kicked over a garbage can or two, and they jail me for disturbing the peace. Damn bastards."
"Whoa, a real live jailbird," Cube commented. "At least we don't get caught."
"Well, I heard about the whole YGS attack on the Garage, and I knew something big had just hit. So I've been searching for any survivors, and I found you guys first."
"But how did you avoid getting caught?"
"Easy-" Tapping a button on the side of the skate, the wheels retracted into the sole. "What they don't see still hurts them."
"All right. So, now what?"
"I can get you guys food and stuff, since you can't leave here. I can probably round up other people if you know where they went."
"Not a clue," Jazz sighed. "If we knew, we'd risk it all to get them back."
"Well, all hope may not be lost. The YGS use a tracker that picks up on skate trails. As long as you don't skate or get seen, you're safe. I happen to know that there's a way to jam the trail, but it's gonna require some serious help. I'm gonna need some time on this one."
"So you need someone who knows how, eh?" Cube smirked. "I know someone who knows a lot about these kind of illegal things, and he might be looking for work at this point..."
In a dark apartment in Shibuya, former Police Chief Hayashi let out a hell of a sneeze.
"Isn't there anything we can do?" Jazz asked. "We've never been like this before. It's not like the GG's to-"
"The GG's are dead," Beat snapped. "You saw it happen. We all did. The Garage is rubble. Most of the people we knew as our family are either captured, hiding, or dead. And out of the three, I'd take dead."
"How can you say that!? As long as we keep our hope alive, we can get through this."
"I don't know what world you're living in, Jazz, but I know what I saw that day. I saw a mortar hit the ground one second, and bite-sized chunks of Roboy the next."
"Beat's right, for once," Cube muttered. "It's pretty damn grim out there. We get seen, we get shot. And aside from that, our skates are near dead, we've got no spray paint left, and we have no food or water. If hanging around with Rhyth gave you those wacky philosophies, maybe you can find some good in this pile of shit we're living, but I sure as hell can't."
Everyone was silent, as nobody could really challenge Cube. Jazz wasn't sure which she disliked more, Cube's blatant honesty, or the fact that she was right. Beat tapped on his headphones in dismay. "Oh shit..." Jazz looked up. "What?"
"Three guesses as to which pirate radio station the YGS just took down, and I bet you'll only need one."
"There goes our last hope," Cube sighed. "It's all downhill from here." Jazz had opened her mouth to say something, but Beat clamped his hand over her mouth. Jazz told Beat to get off of her through his fingers, but he pointed to the door and put his finger to his lips. Cube picked up a lead pipe by the corner, and held it tightly, as if she was trying to squeeze courage out of it. A strange scraping noise was resonating down the hallway, and it was slowly coming closer. Beat looked frantically around the room for any kind of weapon, but saw nothing. Jazz motioned for Cube to get to the side of the door. Taking her position, Cube raised the pipe into the air, ready to strike. The noise was getting progressively closer, as if it knew where to find the three survivors.
Just outside the door, the noise stopped. Everyone's heart stood still as the doorknob turned around, and the door leaned open into the hall. A gloved hand grasped the doorway. Cube was about to swing the pipe when she noticed something at the foot of the doorway- a roller skate. Rolling through the doorway, a tall figure with a gray T-shirt and wide black pants came into view. Noticing Cube to his left with a two-foot lead pipe in her grasp, he leapt back, almost falling off-balance. "Whoa! Back down, there. I'm on your side."
***
99th Street had always been a shopper's mecca. The bright lights, spraying fountains and throbbing crowds were like music to the ears of shopkeepers. But ever since the YGS had taken hold of Tokyo, 99th Street had since dimmed its' lights considerably. Now only the standard streetlights illuminated the thoroughfare at night. On top of Dragon Tower, the YGS flag now flew as a warning to anyone foolish enough to oppose them. In one of the back alleys, in a hidden warehouse, Rhyth lay shivering under a pile of cardboard boxes. "Wh-wh... why..." she stammered through frozen lips. "We were all s-so happy... why did they have to hurt us..." She was suffering from hypothermia. The cold alleys were more than a match for her short skirt, and she dared not go outside, for fear of being captured, or worse. As she clung to herself in the corner, all she could think about was how wonderful things were before the YGS had showed up. She thought about the first time Beat met her in Rokakku-Dai Heights, and followed her up onto a rooftop. She thought about how she had heard stories of the old GG's from her sister, Mew. She thought about all of the fun she had, covering Zero Beat's monochrome scribbles with pastel happiness.
None of it could happen anymore. She was alone now, and as far as she knew, everyone else was gone. As she closed her eyes, she felt a warm feeling come over her. Her body was so shocked that she passed out. As she fell into the blackness, she thought she heard a voice speaking to her. "Poor girl... we've got ya now... ...better soon... we're... ...new family..."
***
Cube, Beat, Jazz, and the mysterious new skater all sat in confused silence in the dilapidated shelter. Beat was shocked that this new guy had made it past the YGS wearing Netrium skates in broad daylight. Jazz was shocked that there were any skaters left at all. Cube was too busy trying to avoid eye contact with him. There was something about him that she just couldn't explain... almost as if... no, no. Now wasn't the time for those kind of thoughts. But still...
"So, who are you?" Beat asked.
"The name's Jho. By the way, I figured you might need these-" He pulled out six Netrium batteries, fully charged, and a few canned sodas. "I've been watching the GG's for a while now. I used to be just a foreigner around here, but I got interested. You don't know it, but I helped you kick Gouji's ass."
"Say what? I've never seen you beofre in my life," Cube shouted, then clamped her hands over her mouth. In a whisper, she continued. "How the hell could you have helped us?"
"Easy- sabotage. Remember the giant drill robot Hayashi had in Hikage Street?"
"Yeah- Clutch told us about that," Jazz chimed in.
"Guess who snuck into the warehouse and removed the leg bolts?"
"Damn," Beat said. "I thought that sounded like an easy fight. No wonder- that thing couldn't hold itself together without bolts."
"And guess who put those planks across Highway Zero..."
"Whoa," Cube said.
"And unlocking the sliding doors in Chuo Street..."
"Okay, okay. So you've been helping us," Beat said. "Why keep doing it?"
"Let's just say... I'm not exactly a fan of the police around here."
"Hm?"
"I lost my passport, and they did diddly-squat to find it. I kicked over a garbage can or two, and they jail me for disturbing the peace. Damn bastards."
"Whoa, a real live jailbird," Cube commented. "At least we don't get caught."
"Well, I heard about the whole YGS attack on the Garage, and I knew something big had just hit. So I've been searching for any survivors, and I found you guys first."
"But how did you avoid getting caught?"
"Easy-" Tapping a button on the side of the skate, the wheels retracted into the sole. "What they don't see still hurts them."
"All right. So, now what?"
"I can get you guys food and stuff, since you can't leave here. I can probably round up other people if you know where they went."
"Not a clue," Jazz sighed. "If we knew, we'd risk it all to get them back."
"Well, all hope may not be lost. The YGS use a tracker that picks up on skate trails. As long as you don't skate or get seen, you're safe. I happen to know that there's a way to jam the trail, but it's gonna require some serious help. I'm gonna need some time on this one."
"So you need someone who knows how, eh?" Cube smirked. "I know someone who knows a lot about these kind of illegal things, and he might be looking for work at this point..."
In a dark apartment in Shibuya, former Police Chief Hayashi let out a hell of a sneeze.