Chapter 2: Warning
Katsumi Liqueur stood by the window, watching the city's pace steadily quicken as the sun had set over the skyscrapers a few hours ago. She put a hand to her belly, as it had just begun to swell. Though the father was dead, she felt like Roy was standing next to her, his arm across her shoulders. She smiled, knowing how she carried Robert DeVice's unborn child in her womb. Katsumi jerked around to find Kiddy sitting at her desk, staring at her.
"Girl, you're acting weirder than ever," the AMP's resident cyborg pointed out, frowning.
"I've just...been thinking."
"About what?"
"The future, I guess."
Kiddy had made such a fast and complete recovery once her systems were restarted, after Katsumi had "killed" her colleague with the evil sword Medium. The half-Megadyne didn't show any signs of the incident from about a month and a half ago. Things went right back to normal. Though the Lord of Nemesis and Gnosa Maximillian would have to be dealt with, Lucifer-Hawk attacks had dropped sharply in size and frequency. The city was rebuilding, and the population knew what was going on in back alleys and city parks. Almost immediately, civilian militias began to form, hoping to rid themselves of the inhuman menace, AMP or no AMP. They could be annoying, but proved to help control Tokyo's demonic infestation, giving the Attacked Mystification PD a hard-earned break.
"You worry me, sometimes," Nami said suddenly, derailing Katsumi's train of thought, but not looking up from her work.
"It's nothing to worry about. I'm okay," the expectant mother reassured her.
"Even so," Yuki cut in. "Just now, I've been getting a really bad feeling about what could happen here tonight."
"Huh?" Lum-Cheng questioned no one in particular, sitting straight up after having fallen asleep for a few minutes. "Like what kind of bad stuff?"
"It's something...big," the telekinetic responded. "Something very powerful...and very evil."
"While I'm not necessarily one to go on a hunch, Yuki's generally right about these things," Leybia confirmed. "Any other hunches?"
"I feel like whatever IT is, it's going to happen around midnight."
Everyone glanced at their watches, all seeing that it was 11:25. Mana walked in from Chief Cheyenne's office, wondering why everyone was checking the time.
"I have missed something?" she questioned.
"Yuki's thinks some kind of virulent dark force is headed to this building at midnight, Director," Leybia explained. "We were about to proceed with any sort of preparations necessary."
"I see. The Chief is expecting someone about that time, so she'll be busy. Rally told me not to worry about the visitor, strange as it seems. We'll get ready, if Yuki thinks it's serious. How much time do we have?"
"About thirty-five minutes," Nami answered. "I'll go set up a barrier around the building, and in the entrance hallway."
"You do that," Mana told the priestess-turned-policewoman, who then took the elevator to the ground floor of the AMP's headquarters. "Everyone else can go help her, take your own precautions, then wait in...where should we all wait, Yuki?"
"I keep seeing flashes of the lobby. Nothing happens. It's just there."
"Alright, we'll wait in there. Get word to Nami."
Just before everyone was to leave the room, the doors to the Chief's office opened, and Katsumi's sword, Grospalina, floated out in its compact form.
"I got the feeling I could be useful just about now," he told his master.
"That would be most appreciated," she invited. "Since you just came from her office, what's Chief Cheyenne doing right now?"
"I'm really not sure, my master. She said she needed privacy."
"Typical," Kiddy sighed. "Let's get going!"
"Hey, Director," Lum-Cheng began. "What're you going to be doing?"
"Helping you out, of course," Mana stated with a partial grin.
"Let's not waste any more time," Leybia reminded them. "Nami's probably half done by now."
They all made their ways to the elevator, Grospalina and Katsumi lagging behind a bit. He lowered his altitude to be parallel with the slight bulge in her abdomen.
"So," he wondered. "Is that also going to be my master some day?"
Katsumi, giggled, and walked into the elevator, her packaged sword following closely.
"I'd say that's quite likely."
The doors slid closed, and the car descended.
Katsumi Liqueur stood by the window, watching the city's pace steadily quicken as the sun had set over the skyscrapers a few hours ago. She put a hand to her belly, as it had just begun to swell. Though the father was dead, she felt like Roy was standing next to her, his arm across her shoulders. She smiled, knowing how she carried Robert DeVice's unborn child in her womb. Katsumi jerked around to find Kiddy sitting at her desk, staring at her.
"Girl, you're acting weirder than ever," the AMP's resident cyborg pointed out, frowning.
"I've just...been thinking."
"About what?"
"The future, I guess."
Kiddy had made such a fast and complete recovery once her systems were restarted, after Katsumi had "killed" her colleague with the evil sword Medium. The half-Megadyne didn't show any signs of the incident from about a month and a half ago. Things went right back to normal. Though the Lord of Nemesis and Gnosa Maximillian would have to be dealt with, Lucifer-Hawk attacks had dropped sharply in size and frequency. The city was rebuilding, and the population knew what was going on in back alleys and city parks. Almost immediately, civilian militias began to form, hoping to rid themselves of the inhuman menace, AMP or no AMP. They could be annoying, but proved to help control Tokyo's demonic infestation, giving the Attacked Mystification PD a hard-earned break.
"You worry me, sometimes," Nami said suddenly, derailing Katsumi's train of thought, but not looking up from her work.
"It's nothing to worry about. I'm okay," the expectant mother reassured her.
"Even so," Yuki cut in. "Just now, I've been getting a really bad feeling about what could happen here tonight."
"Huh?" Lum-Cheng questioned no one in particular, sitting straight up after having fallen asleep for a few minutes. "Like what kind of bad stuff?"
"It's something...big," the telekinetic responded. "Something very powerful...and very evil."
"While I'm not necessarily one to go on a hunch, Yuki's generally right about these things," Leybia confirmed. "Any other hunches?"
"I feel like whatever IT is, it's going to happen around midnight."
Everyone glanced at their watches, all seeing that it was 11:25. Mana walked in from Chief Cheyenne's office, wondering why everyone was checking the time.
"I have missed something?" she questioned.
"Yuki's thinks some kind of virulent dark force is headed to this building at midnight, Director," Leybia explained. "We were about to proceed with any sort of preparations necessary."
"I see. The Chief is expecting someone about that time, so she'll be busy. Rally told me not to worry about the visitor, strange as it seems. We'll get ready, if Yuki thinks it's serious. How much time do we have?"
"About thirty-five minutes," Nami answered. "I'll go set up a barrier around the building, and in the entrance hallway."
"You do that," Mana told the priestess-turned-policewoman, who then took the elevator to the ground floor of the AMP's headquarters. "Everyone else can go help her, take your own precautions, then wait in...where should we all wait, Yuki?"
"I keep seeing flashes of the lobby. Nothing happens. It's just there."
"Alright, we'll wait in there. Get word to Nami."
Just before everyone was to leave the room, the doors to the Chief's office opened, and Katsumi's sword, Grospalina, floated out in its compact form.
"I got the feeling I could be useful just about now," he told his master.
"That would be most appreciated," she invited. "Since you just came from her office, what's Chief Cheyenne doing right now?"
"I'm really not sure, my master. She said she needed privacy."
"Typical," Kiddy sighed. "Let's get going!"
"Hey, Director," Lum-Cheng began. "What're you going to be doing?"
"Helping you out, of course," Mana stated with a partial grin.
"Let's not waste any more time," Leybia reminded them. "Nami's probably half done by now."
They all made their ways to the elevator, Grospalina and Katsumi lagging behind a bit. He lowered his altitude to be parallel with the slight bulge in her abdomen.
"So," he wondered. "Is that also going to be my master some day?"
Katsumi, giggled, and walked into the elevator, her packaged sword following closely.
"I'd say that's quite likely."
The doors slid closed, and the car descended.