Lupin is neat and such, but he does not belong to me. At least in this dimension.
More story to come. Enjoy!
Chapter 4: Driven to Distraction
"Heh, poor confused fools," Lupin said, sailing along the gravel road that took them out of Project Elijay. Smirking, he looked in the rear-view mirror, wanting to catch a glimpse of the confusion he and his gang had just left behind. Instead he saw a flash of green skin and light blue, pupil-less eyes staring back at him.
"AAAA!" Lupin screamed. His startled reaction caused the jeep to sail off the road, and it was only thanks to Jigen's equally quick reaction in grabbing the wheel that they managed to avoid sailing over a cliff.
"What is that?" Lupin said, slamming on the brakes and whirling to face Goemon.
"What is...dear God!" Jigen exclaimed, finally catching a glimpse of Eshe. Eshe, for her part, looked a bit confused, but gave Lupin and Jigen a gentle smile. A sound along the lines of "X'onch," was her reply.
"This is Eshe," Goemon said calmly, sitting in his usual cross-armed position and looking like he was merely introducing them to his grandmother.
"Who? What?" Lupin stuttered.
"What is she...it...she?" Jigen finished lamely.
"I'm not sure. Perhaps an alien. She was in the most classified section of the base," Goemon informed them.
"Ghno'i?" she said, sounding confused. She glanced at Goemon. "Goemon?"
"She knows your name?" Lupin murmured. He suddenly sounded weak. "How?"
"I told it to her." Goemon was growing annoyed. "Look, you said find something interesting."
"Yeah, but I didn't think...I mean, you weren't supposed...ugh." Finally at his wits' end, Lupin planted his face in the steering wheel and wished he had taken that job at his uncle's florist shop like his mother told him to do.
Eshe looked concerned. "He's okay. Simply overreacting as usual," Goemon told her.
"Ghno'i mshan," she replied, holding out her hands and looking more puzzled.
Goemon simply pointed at the now silent gunman, eyeing Eshe suspiciously. "Jigen," he said. He then swung his arm over to Lupin, now lightly pounding his head on the steering wheel. "Lupin."
"Lu-pin. Ji-gen," she said carefully. She pointed at Goemon. "Goemon." And finally, to herself. "Eshe."
"She catches on fast," Jigen grunted. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out another cigarette. "Come on, Lupin. Let's get out of here. The military isn't going to be far behind."
"Yeah," Lupin muttered. The jeep rolled forward again. "God, I never imagined...aliens. Real aliens."
The group fell silent. Jigen continued to steal a glance at Eshe every now and then. Lupin kept his eyes on the road and looked neither left nor right, nor in the rearview mirrors. Goemon closed his eyes, musing over what had just happened and considering the consequences to come. Eshe, for her part, was the only one who remained at ease. She gazed at the wilderness zooming by almost rapturously, obviously happy to be out of her prison cell.
Before long, they reached Lupin's hidden Mercedes. As Jigen and Goemon pulled away the underbrush he had used to hide it from view, Lupin finally brought it in himself to take another good look at Eshe. Eshe had carefully climbed down from the jeep and was now examining the forest around her. She reached out carefully to touch the rough bark of a tree, stooped to examine a mushroom growing from an old stump, and jumped when a robin started twittering loudly above her.
She cast a look at Lupin. Lupin sighed and went over to the tree. "Tree," he said touching it. He pointed up, whistled like the robin, and said, "Bird."
"Tree." Eshe repeated. "Bird." She seemed to furrow her brow in thought and leaned against the tree, now listening to the chirping above her.
"Lupin," Jigen said quietly. Lupin turned as Jigen came over and stood next to him. Together, the two started at the alien, now apparently deep in thought.
"Maybe we can communicate with her," Lupin wondered quietly.
"We should leave her here," Jigen said, tossing his cigarette butt on the forest floor and grinding it out beneath his shoe. "Just get in the car and drive as fast as we can. Forget it ever happened and go back to our usual jobs."
"We cannot leave her," said a stern voice behind them. The two turned to face Goemon.
"She's the only evidence we got away with something," Jigen said. "If they find her missing, who knows what could happen?"
"They know she's missing," Lupin said, recalling the room full of clerks. "As focused as the two of us were, I'm sure at least one of them took notice of the petite green-skinned chick being dragged around by the guy in full samurai garb."
"They'll also figure out we did it," Goemon added. "I'm sure they had cameras activated after the power returned. Not to mention, fingerprints..."
"...and the remains of a certain trebuchet," Lupin groaned.
Jigen shook his head. "I used a fake name when I rented that thing."
"You rented..." Lupin started, then trailed off, shaking his head. "No, never mind that. Gotta stay focused on what's at hand."
The robin chirped again, and suddenly was answered by another. "Friggin' birds are giving me a headache," Jigen grumbled. He turned and stopped in amazement. The second call was issuing from Eshe, who was now looking at the bird that had flown to the forest floor, curious to see who was answering its call. She pointed, and said proudly, "Bird."
"She's an excellent mimic," Lupin noted.
"If she could figure out how to communicate with the bird in a matter of minutes, we should be able to teach her our language in a fairly short span of time," Goemon pointed out.
Jigen shook his head. "Are you two crazy? Sure, let's just teach her English and then release her into society. I'm sure no one will notice the green skin and the fish fins!" he exclaimed.
"Hey, I'm a master of disguise," Lupin said, a hint of his usual self finally returning. He looked at Jigen, but the gunman refused to return the look. "Oh, come on, Jigen. Goemon's right. We can't just leave her here. Whatever she is, she's an intelligent being. If we leave her here, they'll find her again and do God knows what to her."
"I get the impression from her surroundings they were treating her as an experiment," Goemon added.
"For all you know, she killed and ate sixteen soldiers before they contained her," Jigen erupted. He turned and stormed over to the car. "Fine, let's just take her. But if you two wake up with alien parasites bursting out of your chests, don't say I didn't warn you!" With that, Jigen jumped into the car, pulled his hat down over his face, and crossed his arms to sulk.
Lupin held out a hand to Eshe. "Come on, Eshe," he said. "We're going to take you somewhere safe."
She stood up straight and strode over to Lupin and Goemon. "Lupin," she said warmly, taking the thief's hand.
"Wow, I've got a way with women from other planets as well," he joked cheerfully. Goemon shook his head and turned to get into the back of the car. Well, you wanted excitement, he reminded himself. You just didn't count on this much.
In the Atlanta Museum of Artifacts, Inspector Kouichi Zenigata awoke with an abrupt jerk. "That's the fifth time you've nodded off," he grumbled to himself. "You've got to stay alert. Lupin will be here at any minute, and this time I'm ready," he added with a sinister chuckle, patting the device at his side. It appeared to be some kind of bazooka, but it was filled with a special polymer Zenigata had requested from Interpol. Once exposed to air, the polymer hardened into a substance that was so tough, not even bullets could cut through it. Plus, Zenigata figured it was strong and flexible enough to wrap around Zantetsuken rather than be sliced through. Lupin and his gang would be caught like rats in a trap.
Zenigata heard a sound at the door. "How brazen," he muttered. "That jackass thinks he can walk right through the front door. I'll show him." He readied his weapon, itching to finally bring Lupin and company to justice. The door flew open, and three figures stepped through it. Wordlessly, Zenigata pulled the trigger, sending a spray of polymer at the would-be robbers. Cries of surprise and dismay sounded as the last of the canister emptied, leaving the three encased in fast hardening polymer.
Gleefully, Zenigata dropped the weapon. "Whoo-hoo!" he shouted, jumping up and down in the air excitedly. "I finally caught you bastards! Years of work and training wasted...but I always knew these crazy devices were the way to go." The Inspector gleefully skipped over to the invaders, pulling out his ever present handcuffs as he went.
"So, Lupin, how does it feel to be captured by the old man at last?" he chortled, waving the cuffs in the polymer covered face of the lead figure.
"I'm...not...Lupin...you moron," the voice gasped out.
"What do you mean you're not Lupin?" Zenigata laughed. "That's your worst impression yet," he said as he pulled away at the glop on the figure, to reveal the face of the Head Curator of the museum. Zenigata's face fell into a mix of dismay, confusion, and mortification. "Sir, what are you doing here?"
"I came to open the museum for the morning crews, and instead I find myself in this...trap," he growled.
"I'm sorry, sir," Zenigata said. "I thought you were Lupin."
"He didn't come?" the curator asked, still struggling with the goop.
"No, he didn't," Zenigata replied. "Funny, he left one of his calling cards for last night, in the main hall. He never misses a challenge."
"Well, I can't say I'm sorry he didn't keep his appointment," the curator said. "Now, would you please let me and my employees loose?"
"Uh, sorry," Zenigata said, scratching his head. "I don't know how to get rid of this stuff."
The Curator's eyes narrowed. "What?" he yelped.
"Well, this stuff is experimental. And I didn't want Lupin to be able to get out right away," he pointed out.
"You get me out right now!" thundered the curator.
"Yeah, I'll, um, get someone right on it," Zenigata hastily said just before he turned and ran as fast as he could, the profane threats of the curator ringing in his ears.
Zenigata ran for a few blocks before he figured he was safe. He sat down on a bench and began pondering. Why didn't Lupin show up? Did he get the wrong night? Or had something happened to the thief and his gang? Zenigata thought with a mix of frustration and concern. He stood up and began searching for the nearest newsstand. Whatever had happened, Inspector Zenigata, as always, was on the case.