A/N: Alright, we're up to four unique readers now! Please spread the word around about this story! I need all the support I can get! Anyway…
Heh, looks like you guys liked the "Angel of God" idea. It seems like a decent excuse when you're a PGF agent on a foreign world, no? Anyhoo, after whipping the crap out of the stupid River Raiders and having his life saved by a mysterious teenage samurai girl, Clyde decided to have a little chat with the only survivor from the inn battle to find out where Martin is hiding out. How will Nozomi play into this?
Response time:
The help I was offered: Thanks! I always hate it when I make mistakes like that. It's even more frustrating when I miss them after a re-read. I'll do my best in the future to improve myself.
Also to ChinchillaDragoon: Alright! You're the first to put SO:FAB on their favorites list! Thank you so much! Please spread the word!
Again, thanks for all past reviews.
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Chapter 4: My Mission
"Here's the deal: tell me where Martin and your other buddies are hiding out and I'll let you live."
"Y-you mean you'll let me go?"
"Not exactly. I'm gonna turn you over to the local authorities and have them lock you up in a nice, cozy jail cell. How's that sound?"
"What kind of deal is that? No way!"
"Suit yourself, but are you SURE that you wanna end up like your other buddies?"
"…a little less than a day's travel up the river from here, there's a large fort on the west bank of the river. Can't miss it."
"And your boat?"
"Should
be anchored just outside the town. That last guy you… killed… was
supposed to be guarding it."
"Anything else that I should know about?"
"…"
"Well?"
"The boss was working on making this weird stuff that exploded when you set it on fire. Not sure what it was."
"I see. Heh, thanks for the info. Keeper, call a guard, would ya?"
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"Absolutely not," said Clyde as he brought one last small crate of supplies onto the ship, given to him by the generous inhabitants of the town. "I can't let you come with me."
Nozomi stomped her sandaled foot furiously, obviously upset with his answer to her request. "W-why not? I want to fight Martin too!"
Clyde set the crate down and wiped the cold sweat from his brow. "I don't mean to be rude, but you just don't have the kind of training that it requires to beat someone like Martin. Just leave this to me, and I swear I'll beat him."
Unable to hide her emotions, Nozomi drew her blade and took one step up the boarding ramp. "That's not good enough!" she cried. "I saved your life! All I'm asking you to do is let me come with you!"
Clyde hammered a mast with his fist and turned to the young woman. "I appreciate the fact that you saved my life, please don't get me wrong. I just don't want anyone hurt, okay?"
"I don't care if I'm hurt or even killed!" cried Nozomi as she fell to her knees and sobbed. "M-Martin is a terrible man. It should be my duty to purge him from our lands."
"Nozomi…" said Clyde. He still had some other work to do and didn't want to delay leaving for even a minute longer, figuring Martin would soon catch on to the fact that he was coming. Despite this, he could not take his eyes off of the beautiful samurai that had saved his life. Her resolve was admirable, especially for someone as young as her. Why was someone her age after Martin? She sure was taking his refusal for her to join him hard. Perhaps Martin had done something to her or someone she loved?
"Clyde," started Cynthia through his headset, "is the UP3 the only thing that's stopping you from taking her?"
He shook his head and spoke quietly. "Of course not. Her safety is far more important. A girl with a sword is going to be no match for an off-worlder with any sort of firearm."
"I understand how you feel Clyde. She seems like a sweet person," said Cynthia. "However, well, just look at her. Instead of just sitting by idly while you take care of Martin and his goons, she wants very much to be able to see this through to the end. I'm sure she has her reasons for doing this."
"That doesn't matter," said Clyde. "She-"
"Okay, enough trying to be civil about this," said Cynthia, obviously irritated now by their conversation. "Listen here Clyde, that poor girl is crying her eyes out right now and all you can do is keep saying no? That sucks Clyde. Why don't you just let her come along? She seems to already understand the possible consequences of fighting Martin and is prepared to accept them. She wants to help you Clyde. Who knows? You might need the help. I know you don't want me to bring this up again, but you were almost killed by one of Martin's primitive goons. Has your pride swelled up so much that you refuse to accept help of any kind?"
Cynthia's new tone both surprised and scared Clyde. In the four years since he was first assigned his personal AI, Cynthia, he had never before heard her talk this. You could almost fell the emotion in her synthesized voice. Aside from the bit about his almost getting killed, the rest of her little speech actually moved him. "Cynthia, I…" He closed his eyes. "Man, I hope I don't regret this later."
He opened his eyes and walked to the edge of the ship. "Miss Hikaru?"
Nozomi wiped a few tears from her face with her free hand and looked up at him. "Y-yes?"
"You do understand what could possibly happen once we start fighting Martin, correct?" asked Clyde. "He's a very powerful opponent."
She nodded. "More than you know, Mr. Vasteel. I am prepared to face the consequences of my actions though. As long as I can bring closure to this, I… I…"
He shook his head. "Good enough. Welcome aboard, Nozomi." He turned back to his work, took two steps, and took another look back. "Oh, and just "Clyde" will do."
Nozomi could not have made a more beautiful smile on her face if she tried. "T-thank you Clyde! I promise I won't let you down!" She got to her feet and sheathed her blade. She closed her eyes and spoke quietly to herself as she boarded the ship. "I will avenge you. Just wait."
"Hmm? Did you say something?" asked Clyde.
Her face instantly turned red. She shook her head and said, "N-nothing."
He nodded and pulled up the boarding ramp. "Well then, shall we set off?"
She nodded. "Yes. I'm ready whenever you are."
He walked over to the crank that lowered and raised the anchor and began to turn it. "Then we're off! Next stop: Martin's "house"!
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For the first time since he arrived on the planet, the rain stopped and Clyde was able to be the sky above the clouds, revealing a beautiful ocean of stars. He could not help but marvel at their beauty. Sure, he had seen stars from other planets before, but they appeared to be even more beautiful on Rainyv. Perhaps it was something in the atmosphere that made them appear the way they did.
"Wow. It's not very often that we get to see the stars," noted Nozomi. "They're all so pretty."
"Mmm," mumbled Clyde as he sat on an empty crate. "There seems to be something in the air that makes the stars look the way they do."
She turned back from the edge, puzzled. "Something in the air?"
He shook his head. "Ah, nothing."
Thinking nothing of it, she smiled and turned back around.
"So what's the plan, Clyde?" asked Cynthia through his headset. "Any ideas on how to deal with Martin's little fort?"
He spun around as quietly as possible, leaned over a bit and spoke quietly into the headset. "Beats me. I was just gonna play it by ear. I don't suppose you can see anything like a fort on your geographical maps, can you?"
"I already tried that earlier. Unfortunately, I couldn't find anything that looked much like a fort. Sorry Clyde," said Cynthia.
"Hmph," grunted Clyde. "I suppose it can't be helped. This might be a little bit more difficult than I first thought." He opened up his traveling pack and pulled out the sleek metal case that he took from his supply crate before he left the crash site. "Guess I'll just have to pick 'em off one at a time." He punched in a few numbers on the outside of the case, releasing the lock. He opened it up, revealing all of the extra parts for his Phase Gun. He first picked up a solid black stock and fitted it at the back end of the pistol. Next came an elongated barrel which he easily screwed onto the end of his current barrel. Then came the scope. After looking through it an applying the necessary range calibrations, he attached it to the top of the gun. Finally, he opened up a tiny panel that revealed a very small numerical keypad and a digital display that read "93 Cells Remaining: Semi-Auto Mode Engaged". He tapped a few keys and the panel briefly displayed "Code Accepted: Longbolt Mode Engaged."
"Rock and roll," Clyde said with a grin.
"What a strange weapon," said Nozomi, much to Clyde's surprise. "What exactly did you do to it?"
"Uh, I was fixing it," said Clyde.
"Oh?" she asked. "What was wrong with it?"
He looked down at his weapon. No wonder she was asking. It looked completely different from what it did before. "It wasn't… firing correctly."
Smiling innocently, she pulled up another nearby crate and sat in front of Clyde. "Can I ask you something Clyde?"
He nodded. "Of course. What's up?"
She took a deep breath. "You and Martin seem so much alike, I mean, the tools you use and clothes you wear, that is. I don't mean to be nosy, but please tell me… what are you and Martin, really? I'm sorry, but I just can't believe your story about being an angel. If you don't want to tell me, I suppose that's fine. I guess I'm just curious."
"What now Clyde?" asked Cynthia. "I'm not sure how to deal with this one."
Clyde's eyes shot open as he lowered his head. "What do you mean, 'you don't know how to deal with this one'? You're supposed to be the genius here!"
"Well… why don't you tell the truth then?" suggested Cynthia.
"Are you nuts?" asked Clyde, obviously agitated. "What about the UP3?"
"Honestly Clyde. Does she look like the kind of person that would make any real use of anything you tell her?" asked Cynthia.
Nozomi tapped Clyde on the shoulder, wondering why Clyde was seemingly talking to himself. "Um, Clyde? Are you ok? Are you talking to yourself?"
Great. She had heard him talking to himself, or rather, to Cynthia. He had two choices now: tell her the truth or claim that he really was talking to himself and have her think he was crazy. "Yeah, that'll work real well in the long run," said Clyde to himself. He sighed. "Well, here goes nothing."
He raised his head until his eyes met hers. "Nozomi, can I trust you with a secret? One that you can never tell anyone else? Not even a loved one?"
She nodded. "I swear on my family's name. You can trust me Clyde."
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Okay. Here goes… tell me, what's in the sky above us?"
She looked at him strangely. "Huh? The stars, of course."
He nodded. "That's right. I come from beyond the stars. Not just myself, but Martin as well."
The confusion she was experiencing could be easily seen in her eyes. "W-what? Beyond the stars? What do you mean?"
He stood up and walked slowly to the railing of the ship, slinging his converted Phase Gun over his shoulder as he did so. "I mean what I said: I come from beyond the stars. I'm from a planet other than this one."
"Another planet?" This idea just wouldn't sink into Nozomi's mind. Another planet? Did that mean that there were other planets besides Rainyv?
"Mmm. I was born on the moon of a planet called Terra. I came to this planet as a part of my job," said Clyde.
"Job?" asked Nozomi, now more confused than before.
He nodded. "That's right. I work for an organization called the Pangalactic Federation as a UP3 Enforcer. We hunt down people like Martin that bring foreign technology to planets like this and use them for all the wrong reasons."
Still shaking her head, she stood up and walked over to him. "This is so confusing. Why would Martin come here?"
He shrugged. "To play god. That's what everyone like him wants to do. It's easy to accomplish when you have technology that looks like something only the gods would use." He took his rifle off his shoulder, held it in both hands, and held it out to her. "It's just a weapon. A tool from another world. Just because myself or Martin can use it, it doesn't make him or me and more special than you."
She looked at the rifle for a moment, then back up at him. "Really?"
"Of course," he replied. "Take it. I'll show you."
Cautiously, she took the rifle but nearly dropped it as she did so. "Oh my! This is heavy!"
He couldn't help but laugh. He felt that he should've known better than to give a weapon that heavy to such a relatively frail looking girl. "Haha, easy there. Here." He stood behind her to her right side and positioned his arms below hers. "Now then, hold it like this… that's right. Put your finger on the trigger and-"
"Trigger? You mean this thing?" asked Sylvia as she tapped on the appropriate part with her finger.
"That's right," said Clyde. "Now… brace yourself and pull the trigger."
Unsure of what was going to happen, she closed her eyes and squeezed the trigger. From the rifle erupted a large bolt of powerful energy that struck a decent-sized rock close to the shoreline, destroying it completely. The recoil from the powerful shot propelled her light body into Clyde's. "W-wow. I guess anyone can do that."
"Heh," said Clyde with a smirk. He took the rifle from her and slung it back over his shoulder. "It takes a little getting used to, but once you get the hang of it, it's a great weapon."
"Hey!" yelled Cynthia through his headset. "Aren't you going to introduce me?"
"Oh right! Sorry!" said Clyde apologetically. "Nozomi, I want to introduce you to my partner, Cynthia."
Nozomi looked all around her but saw no one. Confused, she asked, "Where? I don't see anyone else."
Clyde smiled and pulled the earpiece from his quad-scanner. Once done, he pulled the scanner from his pocket, opened it up, and held it up to Nozomi. "This is Cynthia, a, well… how to explain this… a man-made person. Cynthia, this is Nozomi Hikaru."
"Hello Nozomi!" said Cynthia cheerfully. "I am pleased to meet you!"
Nozomi fells backwards in complete surprise when she heard Cynthia speak for the first time. "I-it spoke!"
"Please don't be alarmed. I know I may seem strange, but I can think and talk just like you," said Cynthia in an attempt to calm down Nozomi. "I want to thank you personally for saving Clyde's life back in town. I really appreciate it."
Now more curious than frightened, Nozomi stood back up and inched closer to the quad-scanner. She touched the screen and noticed that nothing happened. "Y-you really are in there, aren't you?"
"Sure am, Miss Hikaru," replied Cynthia.
Cynthia blushed and offered a bow. "Um, just Nozomi will do C-cynthia."
Clyde left the scanner open and set it on the crate he once sat on. "Once you get to know Cynthia, you'll find that she's really fun to talk with."
"Why thank you Clyde," said Cynthia. "I appreciate that."
He turned back to Nozomi and observed the moon's light reflecting off of her beautiful pale-blue eyes. Like this, she looked absolutely stunning. "Too bad she's not a little older," said Clyde to himself, half-jokingly.
She began to blush when she saw him staring at her. "I-is something wrong?"
He shook his head. "Forgive me. Don't take this the wrong way, but you look very lovely."
She blushed even more fiercely and turned away. "T-thank you very much."
He smiled. "The pleasure is mine. Speaking of which, what's a girl like you doing chasing after someone like Martin? I don't mean to be rude, but, aside from being too young, you don't look like the warrior-type to me."
She lowered her head and walked back to the railing of the ship. "Nozomi? Are you ok?" ask Clyde, a bit concerned.
Nozomi sighed and looked up at the night sky. "About six months ago, a man named Martin appeared in our lands. He began making all these ridiculous claims that he was a god and demanded a number of things. Everyone ignored him initially… but not for long."
Clyde made his way over to the railing, leaned against it, and looked at his new friend. "What happened?"
She continued. "Unhappy with how the people responded to him, he went on a wild spree of violent crimes. He robbed and murdered several dozen people." She held herself tightly and shivered slightly. "He even raped many of the women he came across. He… he almost got me too."
Clyde couldn't believe what he was hearing. All of the UP3 violators he had eliminated in the past were all bad men, but this man seemed far more evil than the rest. He was almost afraid to ask what happened to her, but felt that, even if he didn't ask, she would tell him anyway. If nothing else, just to get it off of her chest. "What happened?"
A tear fell from her eye and hit the water of the river. "The grandson of my adoptive grandfather, or my brother, as I called him, stepped in and tried to fight off Martin. He… he demanded that Martin leave me alone and… and…" She couldn't take it anymore. She began to sob uncontrollably as she sank to her knees. Clyde quickly went down to his knees as well. "Martin… he… used a strange explosion of light that engulfed my 'brother'. When the light subsided, there was no trace of my 'brother' ever being there. He… he died to save me!" Unable to get a hold of herself, she threw her arms around Clyde and cried on his shoulder.
Clyde felt completely powerless. What could he do? Here was this poor girl, crying her heart out, and he couldn't say a damn thing to help her. He wrapped his arms around her as he tried to think of what to say. "I'm so sorry Nozomi. Your 'brother' must have been a brave young man." He closed his eyes and lowered his voice. "I swear to you Nozomi that Martin will pay for his crimes. This isn't just a job anymore. This guy has gone way too far."
"Clyde's right," said Cynthia. "I don't know how much help I'll be, but I'll endeavor to do as much as I can for you two as you fight Martin. We're here for you Nozomi."
She looked at Clyde with her pain-filled eyes. "Clyde, Cynthia… thank you. I haven't even known you for very long, but you're already willing to risk your lives to rid us of this man, no, this demon. How can I ever repay you?"
Clyde waved his hand. "You don't have to. I'm doing this of my own free will. I'll make him wish he never tried to hurt you or anyone else on this planet.
They both stood up. She sniffled once, smiled, and hugged him again. "Thank you Clyde. You're already a hero to us all."
Not far from the back of the boat, something below the water sent bubbles to the surface.
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Wow. Martin sure is an evil bastard, huh? Now that the two have exchanged their reasons for wanting to battle Martin, all they can do now is wait. But what's behind the ship?
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