Bubble Gum HYTE (Fan-fic)
Source: Bubble Gum Crisis/Crash
Author: LV426
Chapter 4: Fallout
Leon and Daley ducked behind the cement slab, just ducking below the gunfire spitting overhead. Daley seemed slightly relieved, but also a little excited. Leon on the other hand, was still angry as ever. "How do I get myself into these things?" he asked himself, but apparently just a little bit too loud, as Daley heard him.
"Well, you did want to work off your temper, huh," he said teasingly, "Besides, we wouldn't want our top cop in the force to get fat and lazy, now would we?"
For once, Leon smirked. It's good to have your best friend also be your partner. He will be the first to admit this, especially when he needed to get in a lighter mood like now. "Of course not. So, how do we take on the cannon behind us?" he peeped around the slab as he said this, looking at a sentry gun... though now silent, it was still trained on them.
"I don't suppose you would want to have one of us run out and the other one shoot it up," Daley sarcastically added, already knowing the answer Leon immediately voiced.
"No way, Daley. If either of us are gonna get through this, it will take us both. But that does give me an idea...." Leon grinned... the kind of grin that Daley could only think "here we go" on. Without saying a word, he took his machine gun and began ramming the butt of it into the edge of the concrete they were behind.
"Leon? What are you doing?" Daley for once was completely baffled. He usually had Leon figured out almost as fast as Leon did, but for once he was stumped.
"What does it look like? A little cement just might help us out of this." He continued to smash at the corner... cracks beginning to form.
"You know they will want us to pay for that." Daley sounded half matter of fact and half cautioned.
"I'm suspended... how else should I spend my day but causing damage to public property?" Leon retorted, a smirk on his face. After all, he could afford it, and if they were going to pay him to do literally nothing, he might as well take advantage. A shrug was all Daley had to say to that one, and Leon continued to smash at the cement until he had a piece broken off about the size of a fist. He then took his knee guard off and wrapped it around the chunk. "Ok, Daley... when I count to three, I'm going to toss this and we both blow that thing to hell. Got it?"
"Alright..." a grin formed on Daley's face, "Let's do it partner."
"Right.... One, two.. THREE!" Leon tossed the padded rock as hard as he could to the side, the cannon slamming round after round after round on it. However, the thing stopped firing VERY soon after, as Leon and Daley both popped up and unloaded their entire clips into it, covering it with bright yellow paint marks.
"ALRIGHT!" Daley let out. He wasn't sure that would work, but he simply had no better ideas. However, this was far from over. He quickly took another clip of paintballs and threw it into his gun, Leon doing the same. Even in game time, they seem to think like they are fighting boomers on the streets. "Ready to move on?"
Leon nods, "Cover me." And with that, he is on his way into the door-way of the old building ahead. The process is rather quick as the two of them rush into the main lobby, guns trained on opposite sides, but find nothing waiting.
"That's odd," Daley commented, but he wasn't complaining. They had chosen to an infiltration level that would push both of them to the absolute top of their game. It was the best way Daley could think of to get Leon to work off his anger. "LEON! BEHIND YOU!" He fired a few rounds at one of the crew of the Survival Shot before the guy could finish his clean shot at the rather distracted Leon.
Leon, for his part, as soon as Daley said it, ducked and looked back to see the paint splatter on the wall. "Thanks."
Daley smirked back... this is the Leon he has known for so long and cared to see in high spirits once again. "Lets move... we have almost reached the goal of this little game."
With a nod, Leon took the lead once more, now watching much more carefully... while trying to get to the building, he had learned not to worry terrifically about the others who would be put in here with them. They had all been so obvious until now. "Guess they just are used to inside fighting," he thought to himself.
A few more people here and there, and they had reached it. The room with the 'X' that would mark the end of the game. Leon looked around a moment, and took off his vest. "Well that was fun," he said, having honestly enjoyed the day's activities, "but aren't they suppose to come in and award us point now?"
Daley nods, also a little confused. That WAS supposed to be the end... so why didn't they get the signal to quit? "Leon... it might be best if you put that vest back on..." he didn't get any farther before a display dropped from the ceiling. "Yep... we aren't done yet." He cocked his uzi with a grin, Leon after getting his vest back on, following suite, eager for the next challenge.
The screen put up its message, displaying stats on each of their performance, much like an arcade might for kids, but then it blanked and started a new one. "Final round: Dual"
"What?" Leon looked confused... "you have got to be kidding me."
Leon only smirked, "Well why not, hun? We haven't exactly seen much action in a while. Lets get to it!"
For once, Leon only laughed. "Count of three...."
Both, "One..."
"Two..."
"THREE!" And with that, the two jumped back from each other, a hail of paintballs going both ways, and two overgrown kids thoroughly enjoying themselves in what had to be the best finale to these kind of games either had seen in a long while.
* * *
In a nearby operator room, displays lit everything in a pale blue light, barely allowing the features of a young man with jet black hair to be seen as he studied the monitors. The one directly in front of him was an enlarged image of one of the smaller monitors making up the wall behind him. In this view, he watched as the two AD Police officers fought round for round against the various people waiting within the arena, changing camera from time to time to get a better view, occasionally moving to a few at once via split screen.
"Incredible," he said to himself, "Not many in any force that would think to try that." It was a shock to him to have to admit that the two officers were perhaps smarter on the field than he was, but he wasn't about to say it just yet. He had a lot going for him still. Otherwise, he would have rushed these two already and failed miserably. With a smile, he turned to the side monitor displaying the performance stats of the officers. "Simply stunning."
He continued to keep his vigil over the two officers, all the more shocked to watch Leon pull of his kneepad to take care of the sentry. "Quite clever... covering grounds for four out of five possible sensor types in one move... yes, this man will be a challenge to take on."
The smile only deepened as time went on, for the final round was one he had personally engineered. Normally, reaching the room would be the end, but he wanted to see what his prey could do when pitted against his own partner... the only one who perhaps knew his moves as well as he did. "Well, that would normally be true... but now, I think these tapes will be a nice change of plans..." The fight continued in front of him, both combatants showing the utmost knowledge of each other and the utmost effort. Had he been doing this solely for his own entertainment, he would have considered this well worth it.
But there was more than fun at stake here. Vengeance for the Chang clan had to be brought to realization, and these tapes were the best way to really know the enemy. The young man smiled savagely. "Go on, Mr. McNichol. Enjoy yourself... and tell me all I will need to know..."
* * *
Priss' bike roared with life as she gunned it down the road at well over the speed limit, a look of pure rage on her face. She just could not even now believe that the idiots who ran the AD Police would think that the one man who tried to do something about the shooting was the one they were looking for. "How the HELL can they even think they can justify this one? Is there something they are covering for like last time?" Her anger only multiplied on that thought. Last time, she lost a lot and no one ever would know the truth because someone gave the order for a cover up. Again, it seemed, history might well be repeating itself. Only now, it was more than her loss... Linna's condition had told her as much.
A slight swerve on the road to go around a van caught her attention from the thoughts that were slowly driving her into insanity. A honk of horns, a finger, and a curse later, the van had done all it could do about her, she completely missed the scene, hell bent on where she had to go. What she would do there, she had no idea yet, but it didn't matter. The answer would come to her in time, and if not, she would think of something.
It was about ten minutes before she slammed the breaks, hell's fire in her eyes as her bike swerved side-wards under her practiced control. She stood there for half a minute, just seething as she looked at the building ahead of her... AD Police: Megatokyo headquarters. She slammed the kickstand down and with a slow and steady tread, walked to the door.
No one inside had any warning... one moment the place was silent, except for the usual activities of the "desk jockeys," the next... BOOM! The door hit the wall hard enough it sounded like it exploded. And standing in the now open frame, outlined by the late morning light, was pure fury in the form of a woman.
Priss didn't waste any time. She took a moment to survey who was watching. Many of them simply stopped and stared. Between the fact that this was the second such interruption this morning, the young woman standing before them was the one who had sang along side Vision the night before, and the look of death on her face, not one who froze could begin to move.
"Where is the chief?" Priss asked... her voice sounding as pissed as she looked. No one responded right away, as if afraid to draw the attention of this daemon in human form to them. She asked again, "I said... where is he? And I suggest you answer this time." Her voice was dangerously low.
One attendant finally pointed to the door of the chief's office. No words spoken, but then, he couldn't even think to speak right now. Faced with the pure anger he was seeing, he simply lost the will to use his voice.
Priss, for her part, didn't say a word, but moved with the same deliberate action to the door of the office. One of the others tried to intercede, "Um... he may be busy right..."
Priss turned on him in a split second. "He isn't too busy to see me." Her expression was dangerous.
"Yeah, well..."
"You know what he would be up to that might make him that busy?" Priss stormed toward this one person and grabbed him by the shirt. "You would tell me what he was up to if he was so busy, wouldn't you?"
The man yelped in surprise... and for the moment saw no other way to handle this... "of.. of course ma'am."
"And you don't know what he is doing, do you?"
He shook his head.
'Then I'm just going to let myself in and have a little chat with him," her voice got dangerous again, "any objections?" He shook his head again as Priss dropped him. "Good boy."
Priss' eyes moved to the side, someone was rushing her? UNBELIEVABLE! Here she had single handedly proven why most of the people in here are desk jockeys and not on the street, and one of the local geeks had the nerve to try and rush her? The anger built up as she formed a fist, "well, if that is what this one wants, she's gonna learn the hard way..." She turned around, and had to hold back from smashing her fist through Nene's face.
"PRISS! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" For her part, Nene was beyond shocked. She knew her friend and fellow knight saber had a temper, but to storm into the AD Police and demand to see the police chief by force? This was really asking for trouble.
Priss was equally aghast. Here was her and Leon's friend, working in the same place, and probably having the best chance there was to get Leon out of... no... to get this cover up undone, and she just sat there? "I'm doing what you should have," she snarled. "You know as well as I do that Leon cant be the one who took out Vision, yet you did nothing to stop this?"
Nene only blinked... that stung. Leon always was and still is like a brother to her. She only sighed. "I couldn't do anything, Priss..."
"LIKE HELL YOU COULDN'T! YOU WERE RIGHT THERE! YOU KNEW LEON DID NOTHING!" Silence followed for a few moments. "This is pathetic, will you at least let me talk to him if you wont?" With that she walked to the chief's door... leaving Nene standing there...
A tear on Nene's face betrayed the pain she tried to cover. "He wouldn't listen..." She made her way back to her desk, a very hollow feeling following her.
* * *
Jake Boots made his way casually to the bar he had decided would be his home grounds. He had been in Japan for maybe a few months, and had already tried every bar, pub, and liquor store Megatokyo had to offer, but found none did the job with more taste than this one. And that was a good thing to come across... after all, since the chief wouldn't let him take the K-suit to do pretty much any job right now, he felt he was wasting his time, and would rather drink such boredom away.
With a sideward glance from behind the trenchcoat, he pushed the door opened and walked in. Inside, the place had remnants of both old and new styles. Yes, there was a pool table and every booth and table had an ash trey, but at the same time, it wasn't the place you found the biker kind. Most people here were either in business suits, casual street ware, or on occasion, one or two people would be here in a group, and obviously tourists...
Which is exactly what they thought Jake was when he first made his way in here. He knew that kind of glance, hell he gave them often enough himself back in the US. But by now, he was at least expected, if not a regular to this place, barely getting a look from people as he walked in.
Jake didn't even bother to open his eyes right away having cleared the door, choosing instead to breath deep the aroma of beer, wine, various exotic drinks (many of which he could name probably faster than the bartender), with just a hint of tobacco smoke and chalk. "Ah... yes... I'm home," he said to himself, letting his own personal moment sink into himself before he stepped in and opened them...
And there was Leon and Daley? What kind of trick was this? The two of them were sitting at the bar, chugging a beer each and talking excitedly about something. What exactly, as much as Jake would have loved to have known, he couldn't tell from here. It was too overridden by the general talk of the room. "Guess I should see what's up... but maybe a beer or two first," Jake told himself and sauntered up to the bar, maybe two seats away from Leon.
The bartender, a large overweight man with a black goatee and matching short cropped hair looked at Jake with a smirk. Here was one of his favorite customers, even as the management hated his guts. This man had only been coming regularly for few weeks, but had managed to carve the room in two. Half the people there looked forward to his entrances, knowing they would be in for some excitement once he got going. The other half, well they didn't have much taste for "his kind" of attitude. The bartender was part of the first group, "Hey, Jake... what'll it be?"
Jake looked at him with a smirk on his face, various ideas of drinks dancing in his head. "Well, lets see..." he gave it a little thought. "Ah what the hell... give me whatever the hell Leon and his boy over there are having," he gestured toward Leon and Daily, who both stopped mid-drink as they heard the voice call their names.
"Friends of yours?" the bartender asked curiously. "Don't seem like your type."
"We aren't," Leon interrupted, rather annoyed that what was becoming a descent day to his surprise should be wrecked once more by the presence of Jake Boots.
"Awww... that's not very nice, Leon," Jake replied grinning, "I mean, we work in the same office. We should at least try to be."
"I work you mean. You just sit there like your board to tears."
Jake didn't catch the venom in his words. "Which reminds me, what brings you out right now? Wouldn't you normally be in the office at this point? I just got off duty, and I was shocked not to have a hint of you in the area."
Leon glared... the anger he was working so hard to get rid of coming back in a split second. "What business do you have in my affairs!" His voice was low, but threatening.
Jake chugged at his beer a moment before going further. God did he love having fun at Leon's expense. "OOOH! An affair!!!"
Leon shut up completely for a moment, going beet red. The two of them had gained attention from most of the room, and that REALLY wasn't the kind of thing that he wanted said about him... even in a place like this. It also didn't help that Daily was grinning at Jake's comment. His friend had always been fast to enjoy laughs at his expense.
"Gotcha, didn't I? So, Leon," his hands went to hold his head up as Jake put his elbows on the bar, imitating how a school girl might ask this, "who's the girl?"
Leon was barely holding himself back from punching this guy out. "I... I'm not..." he just shook in pure anger and indignity.
Jake nodded like he knew all about the situation. "mmmhmmm... sounds about right."
Leon finally exploded and slammed his hand on the bar, "Listen Mr. Boots, I'm NOT having an affair, but what is going on is NOT your business. Your business SHOULD be keeping in check should you be needed in your K-Suit! Not that you aren't. Boomer incidents haven't exactly been quiet. There is always something going on."
Jake frowned, something not often seen on him. "You know, Leon, I am more than ready for some action..."
He didn't finish as Leon stared right through him, "Then why are you never out there?"
"If our chief ever let me, I WOULD be!" Jake's hand slammed against the bar, getting everyone's attention. It was really rare for someone to manage to get to him that far, even when they tried.
Leon, however, wasn't finished. "Yeah right... prove it too me and I will cover your tab around here."
Jake looked about ready to kill him, until the words fully registered. "You'll what? ALRIGHT! Your ON!" Jake's smirk unnerved Leon just a little as he watched Jake buy about 3 rounds on the spot for the patrons drinking the day away.
* * *
Priss made her way out of the AD Police headquarters, disgusted with everyone and everything there. "Damn that bastard," was about all she had to say to herself or anyone else when it came to the chief. She had managed to keep herself miraculously from killing the guy, but not by much. His attitude reminded her so much of that slimeball Mason that had been the whole reason she had to leave her trailer... and other she lived with... behind. That additional thought only fueled her anger all the more. And now he had pinned last night's events on Leon! She knew damn well he couldn't have done it, and the worst part was, the chief probably knew it too. But once again, a cover up would cost them all justice, if not just a bit more to her...
Again, she quickly brushed that idea aside. She wasn't about to let herself go that way. However, she couldn't let this all go yet. Since he was the only other one to see anything, she would have to go find Leon anyway. "Alright, if I were, Leon, where would I go..." She considered this a moment, then shook her head. "That wont work... there really isn't anything we can do... man do I wish Sylia was home. Maybe she would be able to..." with a sigh, Priss had to admit, she was defeated for now. Though only for now; She wouldn't turn in the towel, not now and not ever. The last sound she made before returning home that night, the roar of her bike as she gunned it home, to make sure Linna was alright.
Source: Bubble Gum Crisis/Crash
Author: LV426
Chapter 4: Fallout
Leon and Daley ducked behind the cement slab, just ducking below the gunfire spitting overhead. Daley seemed slightly relieved, but also a little excited. Leon on the other hand, was still angry as ever. "How do I get myself into these things?" he asked himself, but apparently just a little bit too loud, as Daley heard him.
"Well, you did want to work off your temper, huh," he said teasingly, "Besides, we wouldn't want our top cop in the force to get fat and lazy, now would we?"
For once, Leon smirked. It's good to have your best friend also be your partner. He will be the first to admit this, especially when he needed to get in a lighter mood like now. "Of course not. So, how do we take on the cannon behind us?" he peeped around the slab as he said this, looking at a sentry gun... though now silent, it was still trained on them.
"I don't suppose you would want to have one of us run out and the other one shoot it up," Daley sarcastically added, already knowing the answer Leon immediately voiced.
"No way, Daley. If either of us are gonna get through this, it will take us both. But that does give me an idea...." Leon grinned... the kind of grin that Daley could only think "here we go" on. Without saying a word, he took his machine gun and began ramming the butt of it into the edge of the concrete they were behind.
"Leon? What are you doing?" Daley for once was completely baffled. He usually had Leon figured out almost as fast as Leon did, but for once he was stumped.
"What does it look like? A little cement just might help us out of this." He continued to smash at the corner... cracks beginning to form.
"You know they will want us to pay for that." Daley sounded half matter of fact and half cautioned.
"I'm suspended... how else should I spend my day but causing damage to public property?" Leon retorted, a smirk on his face. After all, he could afford it, and if they were going to pay him to do literally nothing, he might as well take advantage. A shrug was all Daley had to say to that one, and Leon continued to smash at the cement until he had a piece broken off about the size of a fist. He then took his knee guard off and wrapped it around the chunk. "Ok, Daley... when I count to three, I'm going to toss this and we both blow that thing to hell. Got it?"
"Alright..." a grin formed on Daley's face, "Let's do it partner."
"Right.... One, two.. THREE!" Leon tossed the padded rock as hard as he could to the side, the cannon slamming round after round after round on it. However, the thing stopped firing VERY soon after, as Leon and Daley both popped up and unloaded their entire clips into it, covering it with bright yellow paint marks.
"ALRIGHT!" Daley let out. He wasn't sure that would work, but he simply had no better ideas. However, this was far from over. He quickly took another clip of paintballs and threw it into his gun, Leon doing the same. Even in game time, they seem to think like they are fighting boomers on the streets. "Ready to move on?"
Leon nods, "Cover me." And with that, he is on his way into the door-way of the old building ahead. The process is rather quick as the two of them rush into the main lobby, guns trained on opposite sides, but find nothing waiting.
"That's odd," Daley commented, but he wasn't complaining. They had chosen to an infiltration level that would push both of them to the absolute top of their game. It was the best way Daley could think of to get Leon to work off his anger. "LEON! BEHIND YOU!" He fired a few rounds at one of the crew of the Survival Shot before the guy could finish his clean shot at the rather distracted Leon.
Leon, for his part, as soon as Daley said it, ducked and looked back to see the paint splatter on the wall. "Thanks."
Daley smirked back... this is the Leon he has known for so long and cared to see in high spirits once again. "Lets move... we have almost reached the goal of this little game."
With a nod, Leon took the lead once more, now watching much more carefully... while trying to get to the building, he had learned not to worry terrifically about the others who would be put in here with them. They had all been so obvious until now. "Guess they just are used to inside fighting," he thought to himself.
A few more people here and there, and they had reached it. The room with the 'X' that would mark the end of the game. Leon looked around a moment, and took off his vest. "Well that was fun," he said, having honestly enjoyed the day's activities, "but aren't they suppose to come in and award us point now?"
Daley nods, also a little confused. That WAS supposed to be the end... so why didn't they get the signal to quit? "Leon... it might be best if you put that vest back on..." he didn't get any farther before a display dropped from the ceiling. "Yep... we aren't done yet." He cocked his uzi with a grin, Leon after getting his vest back on, following suite, eager for the next challenge.
The screen put up its message, displaying stats on each of their performance, much like an arcade might for kids, but then it blanked and started a new one. "Final round: Dual"
"What?" Leon looked confused... "you have got to be kidding me."
Leon only smirked, "Well why not, hun? We haven't exactly seen much action in a while. Lets get to it!"
For once, Leon only laughed. "Count of three...."
Both, "One..."
"Two..."
"THREE!" And with that, the two jumped back from each other, a hail of paintballs going both ways, and two overgrown kids thoroughly enjoying themselves in what had to be the best finale to these kind of games either had seen in a long while.
* * *
In a nearby operator room, displays lit everything in a pale blue light, barely allowing the features of a young man with jet black hair to be seen as he studied the monitors. The one directly in front of him was an enlarged image of one of the smaller monitors making up the wall behind him. In this view, he watched as the two AD Police officers fought round for round against the various people waiting within the arena, changing camera from time to time to get a better view, occasionally moving to a few at once via split screen.
"Incredible," he said to himself, "Not many in any force that would think to try that." It was a shock to him to have to admit that the two officers were perhaps smarter on the field than he was, but he wasn't about to say it just yet. He had a lot going for him still. Otherwise, he would have rushed these two already and failed miserably. With a smile, he turned to the side monitor displaying the performance stats of the officers. "Simply stunning."
He continued to keep his vigil over the two officers, all the more shocked to watch Leon pull of his kneepad to take care of the sentry. "Quite clever... covering grounds for four out of five possible sensor types in one move... yes, this man will be a challenge to take on."
The smile only deepened as time went on, for the final round was one he had personally engineered. Normally, reaching the room would be the end, but he wanted to see what his prey could do when pitted against his own partner... the only one who perhaps knew his moves as well as he did. "Well, that would normally be true... but now, I think these tapes will be a nice change of plans..." The fight continued in front of him, both combatants showing the utmost knowledge of each other and the utmost effort. Had he been doing this solely for his own entertainment, he would have considered this well worth it.
But there was more than fun at stake here. Vengeance for the Chang clan had to be brought to realization, and these tapes were the best way to really know the enemy. The young man smiled savagely. "Go on, Mr. McNichol. Enjoy yourself... and tell me all I will need to know..."
* * *
Priss' bike roared with life as she gunned it down the road at well over the speed limit, a look of pure rage on her face. She just could not even now believe that the idiots who ran the AD Police would think that the one man who tried to do something about the shooting was the one they were looking for. "How the HELL can they even think they can justify this one? Is there something they are covering for like last time?" Her anger only multiplied on that thought. Last time, she lost a lot and no one ever would know the truth because someone gave the order for a cover up. Again, it seemed, history might well be repeating itself. Only now, it was more than her loss... Linna's condition had told her as much.
A slight swerve on the road to go around a van caught her attention from the thoughts that were slowly driving her into insanity. A honk of horns, a finger, and a curse later, the van had done all it could do about her, she completely missed the scene, hell bent on where she had to go. What she would do there, she had no idea yet, but it didn't matter. The answer would come to her in time, and if not, she would think of something.
It was about ten minutes before she slammed the breaks, hell's fire in her eyes as her bike swerved side-wards under her practiced control. She stood there for half a minute, just seething as she looked at the building ahead of her... AD Police: Megatokyo headquarters. She slammed the kickstand down and with a slow and steady tread, walked to the door.
No one inside had any warning... one moment the place was silent, except for the usual activities of the "desk jockeys," the next... BOOM! The door hit the wall hard enough it sounded like it exploded. And standing in the now open frame, outlined by the late morning light, was pure fury in the form of a woman.
Priss didn't waste any time. She took a moment to survey who was watching. Many of them simply stopped and stared. Between the fact that this was the second such interruption this morning, the young woman standing before them was the one who had sang along side Vision the night before, and the look of death on her face, not one who froze could begin to move.
"Where is the chief?" Priss asked... her voice sounding as pissed as she looked. No one responded right away, as if afraid to draw the attention of this daemon in human form to them. She asked again, "I said... where is he? And I suggest you answer this time." Her voice was dangerously low.
One attendant finally pointed to the door of the chief's office. No words spoken, but then, he couldn't even think to speak right now. Faced with the pure anger he was seeing, he simply lost the will to use his voice.
Priss, for her part, didn't say a word, but moved with the same deliberate action to the door of the office. One of the others tried to intercede, "Um... he may be busy right..."
Priss turned on him in a split second. "He isn't too busy to see me." Her expression was dangerous.
"Yeah, well..."
"You know what he would be up to that might make him that busy?" Priss stormed toward this one person and grabbed him by the shirt. "You would tell me what he was up to if he was so busy, wouldn't you?"
The man yelped in surprise... and for the moment saw no other way to handle this... "of.. of course ma'am."
"And you don't know what he is doing, do you?"
He shook his head.
'Then I'm just going to let myself in and have a little chat with him," her voice got dangerous again, "any objections?" He shook his head again as Priss dropped him. "Good boy."
Priss' eyes moved to the side, someone was rushing her? UNBELIEVABLE! Here she had single handedly proven why most of the people in here are desk jockeys and not on the street, and one of the local geeks had the nerve to try and rush her? The anger built up as she formed a fist, "well, if that is what this one wants, she's gonna learn the hard way..." She turned around, and had to hold back from smashing her fist through Nene's face.
"PRISS! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" For her part, Nene was beyond shocked. She knew her friend and fellow knight saber had a temper, but to storm into the AD Police and demand to see the police chief by force? This was really asking for trouble.
Priss was equally aghast. Here was her and Leon's friend, working in the same place, and probably having the best chance there was to get Leon out of... no... to get this cover up undone, and she just sat there? "I'm doing what you should have," she snarled. "You know as well as I do that Leon cant be the one who took out Vision, yet you did nothing to stop this?"
Nene only blinked... that stung. Leon always was and still is like a brother to her. She only sighed. "I couldn't do anything, Priss..."
"LIKE HELL YOU COULDN'T! YOU WERE RIGHT THERE! YOU KNEW LEON DID NOTHING!" Silence followed for a few moments. "This is pathetic, will you at least let me talk to him if you wont?" With that she walked to the chief's door... leaving Nene standing there...
A tear on Nene's face betrayed the pain she tried to cover. "He wouldn't listen..." She made her way back to her desk, a very hollow feeling following her.
* * *
Jake Boots made his way casually to the bar he had decided would be his home grounds. He had been in Japan for maybe a few months, and had already tried every bar, pub, and liquor store Megatokyo had to offer, but found none did the job with more taste than this one. And that was a good thing to come across... after all, since the chief wouldn't let him take the K-suit to do pretty much any job right now, he felt he was wasting his time, and would rather drink such boredom away.
With a sideward glance from behind the trenchcoat, he pushed the door opened and walked in. Inside, the place had remnants of both old and new styles. Yes, there was a pool table and every booth and table had an ash trey, but at the same time, it wasn't the place you found the biker kind. Most people here were either in business suits, casual street ware, or on occasion, one or two people would be here in a group, and obviously tourists...
Which is exactly what they thought Jake was when he first made his way in here. He knew that kind of glance, hell he gave them often enough himself back in the US. But by now, he was at least expected, if not a regular to this place, barely getting a look from people as he walked in.
Jake didn't even bother to open his eyes right away having cleared the door, choosing instead to breath deep the aroma of beer, wine, various exotic drinks (many of which he could name probably faster than the bartender), with just a hint of tobacco smoke and chalk. "Ah... yes... I'm home," he said to himself, letting his own personal moment sink into himself before he stepped in and opened them...
And there was Leon and Daley? What kind of trick was this? The two of them were sitting at the bar, chugging a beer each and talking excitedly about something. What exactly, as much as Jake would have loved to have known, he couldn't tell from here. It was too overridden by the general talk of the room. "Guess I should see what's up... but maybe a beer or two first," Jake told himself and sauntered up to the bar, maybe two seats away from Leon.
The bartender, a large overweight man with a black goatee and matching short cropped hair looked at Jake with a smirk. Here was one of his favorite customers, even as the management hated his guts. This man had only been coming regularly for few weeks, but had managed to carve the room in two. Half the people there looked forward to his entrances, knowing they would be in for some excitement once he got going. The other half, well they didn't have much taste for "his kind" of attitude. The bartender was part of the first group, "Hey, Jake... what'll it be?"
Jake looked at him with a smirk on his face, various ideas of drinks dancing in his head. "Well, lets see..." he gave it a little thought. "Ah what the hell... give me whatever the hell Leon and his boy over there are having," he gestured toward Leon and Daily, who both stopped mid-drink as they heard the voice call their names.
"Friends of yours?" the bartender asked curiously. "Don't seem like your type."
"We aren't," Leon interrupted, rather annoyed that what was becoming a descent day to his surprise should be wrecked once more by the presence of Jake Boots.
"Awww... that's not very nice, Leon," Jake replied grinning, "I mean, we work in the same office. We should at least try to be."
"I work you mean. You just sit there like your board to tears."
Jake didn't catch the venom in his words. "Which reminds me, what brings you out right now? Wouldn't you normally be in the office at this point? I just got off duty, and I was shocked not to have a hint of you in the area."
Leon glared... the anger he was working so hard to get rid of coming back in a split second. "What business do you have in my affairs!" His voice was low, but threatening.
Jake chugged at his beer a moment before going further. God did he love having fun at Leon's expense. "OOOH! An affair!!!"
Leon shut up completely for a moment, going beet red. The two of them had gained attention from most of the room, and that REALLY wasn't the kind of thing that he wanted said about him... even in a place like this. It also didn't help that Daily was grinning at Jake's comment. His friend had always been fast to enjoy laughs at his expense.
"Gotcha, didn't I? So, Leon," his hands went to hold his head up as Jake put his elbows on the bar, imitating how a school girl might ask this, "who's the girl?"
Leon was barely holding himself back from punching this guy out. "I... I'm not..." he just shook in pure anger and indignity.
Jake nodded like he knew all about the situation. "mmmhmmm... sounds about right."
Leon finally exploded and slammed his hand on the bar, "Listen Mr. Boots, I'm NOT having an affair, but what is going on is NOT your business. Your business SHOULD be keeping in check should you be needed in your K-Suit! Not that you aren't. Boomer incidents haven't exactly been quiet. There is always something going on."
Jake frowned, something not often seen on him. "You know, Leon, I am more than ready for some action..."
He didn't finish as Leon stared right through him, "Then why are you never out there?"
"If our chief ever let me, I WOULD be!" Jake's hand slammed against the bar, getting everyone's attention. It was really rare for someone to manage to get to him that far, even when they tried.
Leon, however, wasn't finished. "Yeah right... prove it too me and I will cover your tab around here."
Jake looked about ready to kill him, until the words fully registered. "You'll what? ALRIGHT! Your ON!" Jake's smirk unnerved Leon just a little as he watched Jake buy about 3 rounds on the spot for the patrons drinking the day away.
* * *
Priss made her way out of the AD Police headquarters, disgusted with everyone and everything there. "Damn that bastard," was about all she had to say to herself or anyone else when it came to the chief. She had managed to keep herself miraculously from killing the guy, but not by much. His attitude reminded her so much of that slimeball Mason that had been the whole reason she had to leave her trailer... and other she lived with... behind. That additional thought only fueled her anger all the more. And now he had pinned last night's events on Leon! She knew damn well he couldn't have done it, and the worst part was, the chief probably knew it too. But once again, a cover up would cost them all justice, if not just a bit more to her...
Again, she quickly brushed that idea aside. She wasn't about to let herself go that way. However, she couldn't let this all go yet. Since he was the only other one to see anything, she would have to go find Leon anyway. "Alright, if I were, Leon, where would I go..." She considered this a moment, then shook her head. "That wont work... there really isn't anything we can do... man do I wish Sylia was home. Maybe she would be able to..." with a sigh, Priss had to admit, she was defeated for now. Though only for now; She wouldn't turn in the towel, not now and not ever. The last sound she made before returning home that night, the roar of her bike as she gunned it home, to make sure Linna was alright.