Chapter 9
Shirogane Luna:
"Su! Your friends are here to walk you to school!" Akane yelled up the stairs of the Hoshikawa household.
The sound of a crash carried down from the second floor, making Kizamaro smother a snicker behind Luna. She would have laughed too if it wouldn't be rude. As it were, Akane's mouth pulled into a smile as she turned back to the trio on her front steps.
"It sounds like it's still going to be a few minutes." Akane informed them sagely, "Would you like to come in? I have plenty of breakfast since Su won't be joining me it seems."
Luna held out an arm to halt Gonta's predictable step forward to accept the offer.
"Thank you, Hoshikawa-san, but we have already eaten our own breakfasts. We're simply here to walk to school together."
"Your loss, I guess." Akane's smile never left, "And please, call me Akane. 'Hoshikawa-san' is so formal. I'm still young and agile."
"Sure… Akane." Luna tested the name out. It felt weird to be calling the mother of a friend by her first name. But if she was so insistent, it'd be rude to continue to do otherwise.
"How are you all?" Akane asked, "I hear last week was rather… busy."
"Where did you hear that?" Kizamaro butt in.
"Subaru. Where else?"
"What did he say?" Kizamaro wasn't going to let this slide, Luna could tell.
"Well, for starters, that you all went to that concert that got attacked. I saw that on TV. It's good to hear that everyone who was injured recovered without complications."
A crease had formed on Kizamaro's brow, "We went to the concert, but Subaru didn't go with us."
"Oh." Was all Akane said.
But she didn't look upset, just thoughtful. It was quiet for an awkward minute before Subaru came tromping down the steps. It didn't appear as if he'd even tried to tame his hair. Akane attempted to pat it down while he pulled on his shoes and tossed his backpack over his shoulder.
"You need to wake up earlier if you want breakfast, Su." She informed her son in a rather matter-of-fact tone, "I put a protein bar in the side pocket of your backpack. Don't forget to eat it on the way to school or before class starts."
"Yes, mom." Subaru answered mechanically, seemingly still half-asleep.
Akane poked her son in the forehead, commanding his undivided attention, "If I find out that you didn't eat it I'm going to start making you drink those nutrition shakes again."
Subaru shivered and Luna guess that 'nutrition shakes' were an undesirable experience. However, watching their exchange, she couldn't imagine how having a mom who mothered that much could be an 'undesirable experience.' She pushed the thought away. It was too early in the morning for that kind of negativity.
"Off you go!" Akane announced, "Have a great day at school you guys!"
"Will do!" Luna answered with a wave.
A leisurely walk to school through the residential district was a refreshing way to start the day. Luna loved mornings. There was so much potential for the day.
"How was your weekend, boys?"
Kizamaro was, as always, quick to jump in with an answer. He detailed the recent factoids and research he'd added to his online database. He'd busted some viruses in his mom's office computer. He'd updated Luna's campaign website with pictures they'd taken while volunteering that weekend. He'd played RPGs with his cousins that lived across the country.
"The usual." He pushed his glasses back up his nose, "Or a variation of the usual."
"Gonta?" Luna prompted.
"I slept in."
"And?"
"Read manga."
"And?"
"Watched the news."
"About?"
Gonta scratched his chin, "The thing on Friday. And, well, I did some research about what different experts are saying about these attacks. Some reports from the Satellite Police are saying that these big blow-ups aren't just viruses. So there, it proves my theory, Kiza. They're aliens."
"Did the SP say that?" Kizamaro asked.
"No."
"What about you, Hoshikawa-kun?" Luna steered the conversation out of dangerous waters, "What did you do with your weekend?"
Subaru yawned and answered off-handedly, "Lost to my mom in tennis and did some work in the lab on Saturday. Then I did pretty much nothing but lay around and read on Sunday."
Luna thought she heard a voice mutter 'boring,' but it could have possibly been either Gonta or Kizamaro as they were behind her and out of her line of sight.
"What did you do, Prez?" Kiza followed up.
Luna puffed up a bit, "I began working on my speech for elections?"
"Oh yeah, when is that?" Gonta asked.
"Officially, campaigning begins two weeks from today!"
Kizamaro and Gonta began asking questions about her plans: which ones were going into effect, when, and what their roles would be. It filled Luna with determination, knowing that her two best friends would be supporting her every step of the way.
Subaru, conversely, had returned to being vaguely disinterested. He still looked tired. From what, she didn't know, since he said he hadn't done much the previous day. He plodded along, chewing on his protein bar like he was barely tasting it.
When they finally reached the school, Gonta and Kizamaro ran off to the drama department, an errand she had specifically requested them to carry out. She, however, escorted Subaru to his locker to make sure he didn't fall asleep on the way.
"Why did you come to my house this morning?" He asked as he deposited his backpack and grabbed his books, "I'm already here – coming to school – you don't need to do that anymore."
Luna could tell by his expression that his question was an honest one. His eyes weren't hard or closed off, just mildly curious, like her actions were the answer for a crossword puzzle and the right word was on the tip of his tongue.
"Last week you looked like you were having a bit of a rough time. I wanted to make sure you weren't planning on giving up on school again. I wouldn't want to have all my hard work go to waste or lose my poster child a few weeks before elections."
"I can imagine you wouldn't like that very much." Subaru's tone was serious.
"Those are two reasons." She continued, "And the other is: I consider you my friend. Whether or not you return the sentiment is your own opinion, which you are entitled to. But walking to school is something I do with my friends. So either you walk with us or you wake up earlier to get here before us."
Subaru smirked, "Other options include coming in late or not coming at all."
"Which you won't do."
Subaru raised an eyebrow, "Why won't I?"
"That would really disappoint your mom. And you don't want to do that. She might start draining nutrition shakes down your throat if that happens."
"You don't understand."
"Try me."
"My mom is an awesome cook, but that is the one thing she can't make. They taste like garbage."
Luna made an exaggerated sad face, "Boo hoo." She rubbed the corner of her eyes to really convey her utter heartbreak.
Subaru rolled his eyes, "Come on." He took off down the hall, "We have class."
"Yes we do!" She chirped, catching up and matching stride with him. He'd learn to love it; or at least he'd learn to get used to it.
Luna was trying to pay attention in class. She really was. Seritelli Sensei was parsing through algebra algorithms – something about higher order polynomial curves. But her desktop continued to alert her of messages from her transer every five seconds.
She glanced up at Kizamaro. He was staring intensely at the front of the classroom, but his fingers were moving lightning fast across his keyboard. Luna sent him a glare just out of spite since he wasn't in the position to notice it.
The message bubble turned red again.
Luna gave up and tapped the conversation. Kizamaro was sending her veritable novels. Massive bodies of text met her eyes. She had to exercise all her self-control in order to hold back her groan. Might as well start reading.
"You heard what Hoshikawa-kun's mom said about Friday. That he 'went to the concert.' Well, I don't think he was lying to his mom."
Here goes, Luna thought, Kizamaro has enabled conspiracy mode. Not that she wasn't curious herself. Seritelli Sensei's lecture was no longer a priority. It was barely a drone in the background as she continued to read.
"I think he did go to the concert. Two reasons for that. He knows something about these attacks. Whether it's because he's following his dad's footsteps or he knows something about this 'denpa-henkan' business, I can't be certain. I think he may have some way of predicting these attacks, tracking them, or responding to them. Think about it: he was there when the Cygnus thing started, he knew something was off about Gonta before he… changed, and now this. Three times is too many to be a coincidence.
"You mentioned too that you were curious about his mysterious 'friend,' the one I think we heard in his room that one time. Is this guy helping Hoshikawa-kun with his investigations? I'm not sure. But I think that if we find out who this friend is we can talk to him and maybe find out more."
Unlikely, Luna thought, if he's friends with Subaru, he'd probably just as tight-lipped.
"It's not any scientist from AMAKEN that we know, the big one or the paranoid one. Hoshikawa-kun might be tight with Tsukasa, but they just met. He's not friends with anyone else at school. I didn't think he really did anything else, but now I'm really curious.
"Best chance, if we figure out what Hoshikawa-kun is doing in his lab, we might have a chance at figuring something out. I'm sure he knows more than he's letting on, and there's too many reasons to count for that. But it has some connection to his dad – I didn't miss the way I pissed him off, I'm not that stupid – and it has some connection to Utagai-san and it has some connection to what happened at the concert."
Luna frowned and typed back a short response.
"We need to talk about that. The concert, I mean. Gonta mentioned some stuff this morning, but I feel like there are conflicting reports all over the internet. I need a straight answer. And, most importantly, was Rockman-sama there?"
"I'll work on it."
"Thanks. We can talk about this more later. Preferably when mister easily-offended isn't around. And while I know Gonta has his heart set on the 'aliens' theory, we do need his input too."
"Sure thing, Prez."
"How did the thing go with the drama department this morning?"
"Great. Woolry Sensei is on board with using that script you wrote. You know him, he's always looking for an excuse to do less work."
"Perfect."
"One step closer to class presidency!" Kizamaro's message was accompanied by an excited little emoji. Luna couldn't hold back the smile that cracked her face.
"Shirogane-san!" Seritelli Sensei voice came sharp and jarring across her senses, "If you're smiling, you must know the answer to my question!"
"Yes ma'am!" Luna's knee-jerk response was not an accurate one.
"Well. I'm waiting."
Crap! Was the only cohesive thought on Luna's panicking mind. There was a curvy line on a graph. Great! Very articulate, Luna. Her eyes flitted about, not wanting to look her teacher in the eye and admit defeat.
And by some chance, her gaze got hung up on a pair of brown eyes staring back, very intentionally. She squinted, looking harder. Was Subaru starting at her?
He was. And he was holding up three fingers. She stared uncomprehendingly back.
His hands shifted, curling into a circular shape. Smoothly, they transitioned four more times: fingers crossed, index finger held vertical, fingers folded in, followed by fingers crossed again. Her brain finally caught up to her eyes.
"It's a… third order polynomial?" Luna phrased the answer more like a question, eliciting an exasperated sigh and subsequent confirmation from Seritelli Sensei before she continued with her lecture. That was unbearably close. Luna's heart was still pounding from that near-humiliation.
Subaru sent her a smirk before turning back in his seat to face forward and 'pay attention.' Bitterly, she noticed his stylus tracing across his desktop. He was better at multitasking than her. But that was new: Subaru going out of his way to help her.
If only to mock her. So that was a thing.
Luna turned back, actually trying to pay attention to Seritelli Sensei this time, but it was too late, her mind had already been sidetracked. Subaru was an enigma; maybe it was better leaving all of that to Kizamaro and his nosy devices. As long as she could keep Subaru at school, he served his purpose for her – helping her win the school council elections.
Her stomach made a nervous flutter.
Luna was being completely serious when she boasted to Kizamaro and Gonta that she had this election in the bag. None of the upper classman were running (by some enormous stroke of luck) and none of her peers had even a fraction of the rapport that she had. Students or teachers, Luna was in good graces with all of them… except maybe Subaru who might permanently hate her?
No he didn't hate her. That much was obvious. He'd been… less glacial over the past few weeks. Treating her with some bare-faced honesty was a step up from avoiding her. And after the stunt with 'Taurus' he hadn't been trying to spurn her attention either. She was a good person. She deserved better than that. Right?
Not if her parents were to be believed.
Elections. Think about elections. Something she knew she was good at. Her motives wouldn't be questioned until voting officially started. Most of her classmates didn't even know when they started. Which meant she could maximize her good deeds for the next two weeks and really get off to a great start.
The Rockman play was just the tip of the iceberg.
Rockman.
Luna's mind seemed hell-bent on skipping from one brainworm to the next. She was sure he had been at the concert. Not that she had seen him. No, she'd been too busy being bodily 'evacuated' by Gonta, bless his protective soul. But she wanted to see her hero!
She knew that he had been there. She could feel it. That sort of thing only made sense to a true fan. Rockman's first and maybe his only. He had saved her life. It was the least she could do to repay him.
But maybe she could do more?
Something with a more… personal touch.
"I'm gonna eat lunch in the greenhouse with Tsukasa-kun." Subaru informed as they passed between classes. There was a teasing glint in his eyes, "I just wanted to let you know so you didn't go tearing the school apart looking for me."
"Hmmmph! And why would I do that!?"
He shrugged, "It's just the sort of thing you do. I don't get it. So don't ask me."
"I don't appreciate your tone."
"Sorry?"
"That didn't sound sincere."
"It's the best I've got."
"Well, Hoshikawa-kun, your 'best' needs some work. Maybe Tsukasa can give you a lesson on proper manners in the greenhouse."
Subaru sniggered, "He's probably going to talk about plants."
Luna couldn't argue there. Tsukasa had a green thumb, green hair, and possibly green plants growing out of his ears. The kid just couldn't get enough of all things biology, botany, and environmental sciences. Subaru certainly had a lecture coming his way.
"You're probably right." She admitted.
"Have fun without me."
"I, personally, will barely notice your absence."
"Kay."
The brunette found his seat as the next class started. He didn't drop by again after the class or even before lunch. Kizamaro and Gonta were already at their usual table when Luna arrived with her tray. They were deep in discussion.
"Why can't I be Rockman?" Gonta whined, "He's super cool. Like me."
Kizamaro sighed, "We've been over this Gonta-kun. You can't be Rockman because you are Taurus, both figuratively and literally. Also, you're the largest boy in school, so you are the best one to fit the part."
"Complementing my amazing physique is not gonna get you anywhere, Kiza. I want that role."
"You'll ruin the whole play that way!" Kizamaro threw up his arms as if to emphasize the described catastrophe, "It will be total anarchy!"
"I. Want. To. Be. The. HERO!" Gonta punctuated his sentence by banging his exceptionally large fists on the poor cafeteria table. It did nothing to deserve such abuse, Luna thought, she had better jump in.
"You can't…"
Luna cut Kizamaro's objection off, "Gonta!"
"Yes, Prez?" The large boy was all ears.
"I need you to be Taurus. I need this play to be a success. And I need to win this election. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Prez."
"Good." She sat down, smacking her tray on the table with unnecessary force, "I'm glad we got that sorted out. Now we have other matters to discuss."
"Where's Hoshikawa-kun and Futaba-kun?" Kizamaro asked predictably.
"Bonding? Why would I care about what nerdy stuff they're up to? The point is, they're not here. So we have some important things to discuss."
"Aliens?" Gonta asked, tearing a large bite out of his sandwich.
"Possibly." Luna ascertained, pointing her fork at him before stabbing it in her salad, "We need to compare notes. What is really behind these attacks? Why are they happening? How is Rockman involved? And how can I secure a date with the aforementioned hero."
Kizamaro choked on his food, but didn't say anything otherwise.
"That last one might be the most important." Luna continued, "I've asked Kizamaro to look into what the media is saying about the attacks. Kizamaro, care to brief us on your findings?"
Kizamaro wiped his mouth with his arm and cleared his throat, "I was semi-successful in finding answers during study hall (I really should have looked into this over the weekend). It sounds like the Satellite Police are at least admitting that they don't know what the source behind the attacks are. But they can agree that these attacks have been fueled by things more powerful than viruses. Inspector Goyouda has been trying to find a connection as far as where these attacks are happening to see if someone or something is being targeted. But really, the only commonality has been the fact that Rockman shows up to deal with the problem."
Kizamaro ignored Luna's little squeal of delight at the mention of her hero, "Inspector Goyouda did say that the team-up with AMAKEN is official. Apparently, AMAKEN will release a statement to the public when they have a concrete conclusion. But until then, AMAKEN will be working closely with the Satellite Police to figure out the best way of suppressing these attacks."
"Weapons." Gonta surmised.
"Pretty much." Kizamaro agreed, pushing his glasses up his nose, "Experimental technology will be field tested by the Satellite Police. I bet the scientists at AMAKEN are going to be up to their ears in work for the foreseeable future. I'm not sure whether or not Hoshikawa-kun will be included in those activities, but it will mean that he will be the first one to hear about anything that is being developed." Kizamaro finished his statement with a meaningful look at Luna.
It was certainly an interesting coincidence. However, Subaru had been involved with AMAKEN for years, so the connection could possibly be imagined as well.
"I still think its aliens." Gonta grunted through a mouthful of food.
"So you agree with Hoshikawa-kun." Kizamaro challenged. And, predictably, their bickering devolved from there.
"Sure, why not?"
"You used to hate him. You said he 'gave you a funny feeling.'"
"Yeah, and?"
"And!? What happened to that, Gonta-kun? You agree with me, he's hiding something!"
"Maybe. But the Skipper's not so bad."
"How so?"
"He rocks at dodgeball. I'm gonna ask him to be on my team. We'll crush the opposition."
"Is this your way of being sorry?" Kizamaro snapped, "Because you're missing the point. He has information that he won't share with us. How messed up is that?"
"Pretty messed up. But that Skipper's messed up. Have you met him?" Gonta didn't seem overly concerned as he continued to wolf down his lunch.
Kizamaro was steaming.
"Prez?" he whined.
Luna sighed. Their argument had given her a little time to mull over their new information.
"It's not like he's going to tell us everything that goes on in his life, Kizamaro." When the nerdy boy's face fell, she reassured him, "But that doesn't mean we aren't going to try and find out everything we can. And that really starts by being friendly with him and not alienating him."
Gonta chuckled at that, but didn't add a comment.
"Hoshikawa-kun is the one with the connection to AMAKEN. AMAKEN is the one with the connection to the SP. And the SP is the one dealing with these problems and Rockman-sama. Until we can find a more direct route to Rockman-sama, that's our best bet."
"What would be a more direct route?" Kizamaro asked.
"That's what I'm trying to figure out. Gonta!" She turned to the burly boy at the table, "How should I try and win Rockman-sama's heart?"
Kizamaro groaned, "Like he's going to know?"
"'The way to every man's heart is through his stomach.'" Gonta announced, "At least, that's what my mom would say. And she managed to snag my dad, so I'd say it's a safe bet."
"Really?" Kizamaro couldn't sound any more disbelieving.
But Luna felt as if she'd just been struck by lightning. That was an absolutely perfect idea! Why hadn't she thought of this sooner!
Now if only she knew how to cook…
And if only she knew where Rockman was going to be next, she'd be golden. She arranged her goals into a manageable list of things to do: learn how to preempt attacks, be there when Rockman-sama shows up, win his heart, and also win the school elections.
It was all pretty straightforward and only a little bit impossible. But Luna wasn't the type to back down from a challenge.
Luna clapped loudly to gain everyone's attention. The gathered students in the gym quieted down, but errant mutters still carried through the group. Luna gave them a broad glare to silence them at last.
"A few of you asked me to arrange something exceptional for this year's spring play. Something that's never been done before." She glanced around to ascertain that Woolry Sensei was not present, "I completely understand. Woolry Sensei is typically… preoccupied. We all know that he was pushed into the drama department by administration so that they didn't have to hire someone else. Which is why I have poured my heart and soul into this creation."
Luna held the script aloft.
"I think you'll find that my creation has plenty of action, intrigue, and relevance to our generation. We'll be going over the plot today and assigning roles. Does that work for everyone?"
"Um." A raised hand interrupted her passionate speech, "Why am I here?"
"Because I have a very important role in mind for you, Hoshikawa-kun."
"But I don't want 'a very important role.'" Subaru whined.
"C'mon man." Tsukasa said quietly, elbowing Subaru in the side and ignoring the little grimace that crossed the boy's face, "It'll be fun."
"I fail to see how this will be 'fun.'"
Luna ignored him. Leave it to Subaru to be a wet blanket. The rest of the drama department look so excited that they might pee their pants. As it should be. Luna's script was a masterpiece.
"Please tell us you have copies of the script!" A younger girl in the front begged.
"Kizamaro." Luna commanded, punctuated by a snap of her fingers.
The nerdy boy stumbled forward, arms full of thick, heavy, packets of paper. Eagerly, the drama students gathered around him, each claiming a copy of their own. Their eyes were alight as they skimmed through the contents.
"This is good." One of the upperclassman muttered, mostly to himself, but Luna heard it. As did others and they began to gush about the finer points of the plot.
"If you have any suggestions, I'm open to hearing them." Luna reminded the gathered students, "Not to be theatrical or cliché, but 'we're all in this together.'"
That got a smattering of laughs, effectively abolishing any tension that was left in the gym. Students broke off into groups, taking turns reading. Luna gathered around Kizamaro, Gonta, Subaru, and Tsukasa. But most of them already knew the plot.
Kizamaro silently offered Luna a thumbs up. The presentation of the script had gone well. The drama kids were eating it up. Ten out of ten success.
Subaru listlessly flipped through his packet.
"It doesn't say who's who in here."
"That's because," Luna informed him, "We're going to decide that as a group."
Subaru raised an eyebrow, "Then why would you say that you have 'a very important role' for me, if you didn't already know what that was going to be?"
Luna smirked, "I'm confident that the drama department will agree with me."
"You never lack confidence, do you?" Subaru muttered.
"Nope!" Luna said aloud, but her consciousness said something completely different.
Subaru's face morphed into something unreadable. His voice was dull when he announced, "I'm leaving."
"What!" Kizamaro's voice rang a few octaves higher than usual, and that was saying something, "You can't just back out."
"Yes I can." Subaru tossed his backpack over his shoulder, "I didn't sign up for this. I don't want a part in this. I'm leaving."
Desperately, Luna looked to Tsukasa to say something, but the tall boy's face was just as unreadable. She had been counting on Tsukasa's involvement to keep Subaru here, but she might have overestimated that link. Luna glanced at Gonta and saw him waiting for the command. He would drag Subaru back if she ordered it. But that just didn't seem right.
"Hoshikawa-kun…"
A loud groan cut off the plea she had been about to make and drew her gaze upward. Far above the gymnasium stage, a catwalk motor whined, pistons firing furiously in an attempt to reel a spotlight back into a safe position. But it was no good. Smoke poured out of the mechanism and steel wires were rapidly frayed.
All of it, right above that idiot Subaru's head.
Her plea turned into a choked cry.
"Watch out!"
Somehow, her feet moved just as fast as her lips. She had crossed the space between them in the blink of an eye. A curse passed underneath Subaru's breath, but Luna paid it no attention. She grabbed onto his backpack strap and yanked, hard. Both of them, off balance, went rolling away as the spotlight finally lost its bearings.
The whole fixture, probably two hundred pounds or technology and hardware, came crashing to the gymnasium floor. Bits and pieces rebounded at frightening speeds. Luna hid her faces with her arm and felt a sting where plastic splinters embedded themselves in the back of her hand.
She couldn't say how Subaru fared. He was already on his feet when she looked up.
"Viruses." A voice without a source muttered indistinctly.
"Yeah." Subaru agreed, "I'll take care of it."
Confidently, he pushed through the crowd of shocked drama students to the console on the wall beside the stage. Subaru deftly slid his transer open and tapped commands Luna was familiar with: synching his transer with a device. But he lost her after that.
Above them, the catwalk and other fixtures were still going haywire.
Subaru's right hand strayed to his pocket as he picked a data card, seemingly at random, and swiped it through his transer. A chime smothered a… chuckle? Maybe that crash was still ringing in her ears?
But only a few seconds later, he was done, shutting his transer with a decisive click. The pistons above them squealed to a stop, groaning. There was probably permanent damage that would need to be fixed before the performance, but at least they were all unhurt. Mostly, Luna remembered her stinging hand.
The other members of the drama department were dead silent, staring in awe. Virus attacks were relatively common, but repercussions being so dramatic were rare. And it was even rarer to have a buster present that was able to manage the viruses within seconds.
"Nice." Tsukasa suddenly applauded, "You've been practicing, Subaru-kun."
Others broke out in murmurs of appreciation, but they were largely ignored. Subaru met Luna's eyes, "Are you okay, Shirogane-chan?"
She nodded.
"Then I'm off."
"Where are you going?" She asked. She wasn't demanding.
"AMAKEN."
"We'll catch up with you later."
"Okay."
He pushed the gymnasium door open, but paused. Light flooded in from outside.
"And thanks."
The door fell closed.
"Oh, it's you three again." The receptionist at AMAKEN's front doors offered them a brilliant smile, "Amachi-san did say you'd be dropping by."
"He did?" Luna muttered to herself, but louder she affirmed, "Yeah. We are here to see our friend."
"Of course. Hold your transers over this pad here." She pointed to a rubber mat on the desk, "I'll give you the clearance to access the halls."
Luna wasn't sure what was happening. How had they suddenly received free reign of AMAKEN labs? And how did Amachi know they'd be coming around again? But as the saying goes: don't look a gift horse in the mouth. Luna was pretty good at playing along.
The receptionist let them pass after that, offering them a pleasant 'goodbye' and another brilliant smile. Luna had a decent idea of the layout and made her way confidently to find their benefactor and resident scientist.
"I'm ninety percent sure he was there." A gruff voice insisted from the openness of AMAKEN's main control room. Luna hurriedly waved at Kizamaro and Gonta, a sign that they knew quite well after two years of their friendship – stay back and stay silent. Luna herself peeked around the edge of the door, catching a glimpse of three men.
The famous Inspector Goyouda and his newfound consultant, Mamoru Amachi. Shinsuke Utagai was present as well, hanging back but still doing his best to support his employer.
"But you didn't see Rockman's signature on the wave scanner I gave you?"
"Yes." Goyouda said begrudgingly.
Amachi took the inspector's transer, giving it a once-over like that would tell him something.
"Any eyewitnesses?" the scientist asked.
"No." Goyouda snapped, "There were thousands of people at that concert and none of them fancied sticking around for a chat. The ones who did were nowhere near the source of the disturbance so their testimonies were next to useless."
"Hmmm…"
"The program is a failure anyway. Rockman's signature hasn't shown up for the past week."
Utagai stiffened but didn't say anything while Amachi gave the inspector a puzzled look, "Does it usually?"
"Yes. At the beginning, it recorded his signature one or more times a day, usually at random. When we'd go to inspect, he'd be gone and there'd just be data fragments left behind. Nothing substantial."
"No data drops?"
Goyouda shook his head, "Completely cleaned out."
"So Rockman functions as some kind of anti-virus when he's not facing off with bigger threats."
"You might think." Goyouda grouched, "But his signature would disappear completely before it would crop up again. I don't know how he falls of the radar like that, but I need to know. If these threats are coming from the woodwork, we need to be able to locate them before they burst through and cause havoc."
Amachi set the transer down at his computer station, absent mindedly connecting a cable between it and his computer, "And you said that these regular occurrences stopped about a week ago?"
The inspector nodded, affirmative.
Utagai cleared his throat, "If I may interject, Amachi-san?"
"Certainly. Make your opinion heard, Utagai."
"Is it possible, since we are assuming we are dealing with something intelligent, that Rockman could have deduced that he was being tracked and somehow adjusted to it?"
"I considered that possibility when creating the program." Amachi responded as he typed a command into his computer, effectively multitasking, "So I made it so the program tracked high-energy, characteristic z-waves. Z-waves are completely unique to an entity and do not change when the state of the entity changes. Ideally, it should be able to track something like Rockman across the full EM spectrum. It's how out current EM AIs functionally distinguish each other."
"And if Rockman is intelligent beyond our AI technology?" Utagai pressed.
"Then it may be possible that he took a more… novel route to circumnavigate the sensors. Without knowing Rockman's true nature, I couldn't be sure what to look for." Amachi scratched his head, "Rockman may work through EM technology, but that wouldn't necessarily give him clearance to up and remodel the EM network."
Utagai intertwined his fingers and twirled his thumbs nervously.
"It was just a thought."
"No." Amachi told his employee, "It was a good thought. It's definitely a place to start as far as looking into what caused this lapse in functionality."
"Well," Inspector Goyouda groused, "this 'lapse in functionality' is certainly causing me more trouble than I'd like. I have my hands full of paperwork and my superiors will be breathing down my neck until I get this whole case wrapped up…"
"'Wrapped up'?" Amachi interjected sharply, "What makes you think that this is a simple matter that can be 'wrapped up'?"
"I don't think that." Goyouda growled, "My superiors think that. I'm not that optimistic."
"What do you mean by that?" Utagai's voice wavered a bit.
The inspector brought a hand to his head, rubbing the deep creases there. He heaved a huge sigh before staring the scientist straight in the eye, "I think the world is changing. Again. We've reaped the benefits of this new wave technology for the past decade. It's just now catching up to us: the problems that accompany this new wave technology. 'Nothing comes without strings attached' as some might say. I think that's the case. These attacks are the strings."
"You're probably right." Amachi agreed.
"I am right!" Goyouda insisted, "I would just like to see those strings wrapped up in neat little bundles instead of choking people in fear. So I need you scientists to put in your best effort."
"Inspector. If I may ask?" Utagai queried after a few beats of silence.
"Of course you can ask, man! You're the expert here! I came here to answer your questions and get some responses of my own."
"Well, is there a specific reason you need Rockman's signature? If the program still works for the other entities, is it not doing its job? After all, you said that it registered a new signature, one that eyewitnesses are saying belonged to a girl dressed in pink?"
Goyouda narrowed his eyes at the scientist, reading him as if Utagai was a book with incredibly small font. Utagai sidled sideways, just a little behind Amachi, but Amachi himself was patiently waiting to hear the inspecotors reasoning.
"Assuming the program is working properly and is not dysfunctional." The inspector admitted, "That may not be a problem provided Rockman himself is not a threat. Another problem could arise if other threats learn the same trick as Rockman. But the bottom line is: Rockman has made an appearance at every attack. Either he is the reason for them or he knows something we don't. Either way, I cannot allow Rockman to continue to do as he wishes. For the safety of the public I will detain him, stop him, or destroy him."
From her eavesdropping position, Luna shivered. Inspector Goyouda's words were cold and calculating. He wasn't leaving room for optimism or heroism. He operated by the law and anything outside of that was unforgivable.
Amachi answered slowly, "Those are good points, Inspector Goyouda, but I would caution you against being too drastic in the measures you choose. We still don't know what precipitated these events and that may be just as important as finding out how to prevent them."
"What do you mean by that, man?"
Amachi spread his hands wide, "Until we know what we're dealing with exactly, I think it's safe to say that all we can do is manage the symptoms and not treat the source. We can mitigate the collateral damage but we can't bring a stop to it altogether. So it may be best to avoid a course of action that would exacerbate the situation."
Goyouda looked… well he looked pissed at Amachi's bland words. If only because Amachi was right.
"I still want the program fixed." The inspector finally said, "It will be installed in all my men's transers by the end of the week. Additionally, I expect to see the prototype of the device we discussed by my next visit."
Amachi frowned at the inspector's tone.
"I'll take my leave. Good luck on your work."
Luna squeaked quietly, suddenly waving her friends down the hall and around the corner. The door to the main control room swung the rest of the way open, accompanied by the steady clomp of the inspector's heavy boots. From their hiding place, Luna could see the drab color of Goyouda's long trench coat as it whipped down the corridor.
The inspector did not appear to be at his best. If that conversation was anything to go by, he was low on patience. Stress pinched his face, making his wrinkles look more defined. How much sleep had that man gotten since all this craziness started, Luna had no idea.
Carefully, she peeled away from the wall, straightened her blazer, and waltzed into the main control room. Amachi and Utagai were holding a conversation in low voices.
"I can take a look at the program," Utagai was saying, "Maybe I'll see something you missed. Rubber duck, right?"
"Thanks," Amachi ran a hand down his face, "I appreciate it. Are you sure it won't interrupt your current project?"
"It's not a problem at all." The nervous scientist assured Amachi.
"What won't be a problem?" Luna asked by way of announcing herself. Kizamaro and Gonta were close on her heels.
"Oh! You guys!" A smile broke across Utagai's face, "Are you here to see Subaru-kun."
"Yep!" Luna chirped, "But what was that just now all about? That man stormed out of here looking pretty angry." She expertly feigned ignorance.
Amachi readjusted his AMAKEN cap, "That was Inspector Goyouda. He was here asking about our progress."
"On?"
"The countermeasure technology the SP wants to help them deal with these attacks."
"So why wasn't he happy?" Gonta asked.
Amachi smiled thinly, "Progress doesn't happen overnight. We're trying our best, but he doesn't agree."
Kizamaro frowned and pushed his glasses up his nose, "Well, that isn't fair of him."
"We all have our own areas of expertise." Amachi said, "We can only hope that others understand that and we can all work together to achieve greater things. That was Daigo-senpai's motto. That's why AMAKEN is a collaborative lab. We have a lot of specialties within these walls. But still, progress takes time."
"I see." Luna hummed.
"We probably shouldn't keep you then." Kizamaro apologized, "We'll go find Hoshikawa-kun."
Amachi waved them off, but he still offered a friendly smile, "If it's just for a while, I certainly don't mind a little break every once and a while. Just so you know, I have given you three clearance to enter the grounds. Just be careful. Don't wander around too much and mind the signal lights on the labs. If you stick with Subaru, you should be fine. He knows his way around."
The trio began to move off, but Amachi seemed to remember something else.
"And if Subaru says it's okay to go on the roof, tell him I said 'no' and he should know better than that by now."
"What happened on the roof?" Gonta muttered.
Amachi grinned, but didn't offer anything else in way of an answer. From behind him, Utagai offered them a wave. And soon, the two scientists had preoccupied themselves at Amachi's workstation, looking over the 'defunct' code for Inspector Goyouda's tracking device.
"I'm a tree."
Luna fought to keep her face straight when confronted with Subaru's deadpan.
She nodded instead, "That was the role the drama department decided upon for you."
He flipped through the rest of the script, "Tsukasa-kun got the role of Rockman?"
"Yep," Luna perched herself on a stool at Subaru's bench. Kizamaro and Gonta were poking around the rest of the lab, no doubt in search of clues. Subaru wasn't paying them much heed. He seemed much more hung up on the cast for the play. "Tsukasa-kun is the best person to play Rockman-sama, don't you think? He's tall and heroic and… well, he's a wonderful person, don't you think?"
Subaru's eyebrows had slowly inched upwards as she spoke, "Simply wonderful." Was his sarcastic reply.
"You don't agree?" She kicked her feet back and forth, "You two seem to get along so well."
Subaru shrugged, "I guess I agree. But I also don't know him very well yet." He added another note to his lab book. Surprisingly neat handwriting filled the pages in tidy rows.
"What are you working on?" Luna leaned in as she asked.
Subaru made a face, "Gathering data on the effects of EM on humans."
"Find anything interesting?"
Subaru shut his lab book, but explained, "There's actually a lot of correlation between EM waves and brain waves. Certain states of the brain can therefore be influenced by wave rhythms."
That sounded familiar.
"Like mind control?" Luna asked.
"In theory," Subaru propped his chin on his hand, "In practice, simply broadcasting a wave with a machine is not going to be unique enough to fit the exact reception pattern. It's similar to neurotransmitters in the brain. Only specific, 3D molecular structures can act on receptors, anything else won't produce a change. The same idea applies to waves, but they're EM signals instead of molecules."
"That sounds complicated." Luna admitted, although she did follow his explanation, "If it's not proven, how did you figure it out?"
Subaru's smile was a tiny bit bitter, "I didn't 'figure it out,' it's just my hypothesis – what I'm trying to prove. I like to think of it as a progression. Biochemists have elucidating molecular pathways for hundreds of years. This is just the start of a similar process."
"Why would you want to discover mind control? Isn't that a violation of human rights?"
"It is. But it's more like… prevention."
"The attacks."
Subaru didn't confirm or deny, but he quickly changed the subject.
"So why is it important for me to be a tree? This is high school, not kindergarten. I don't need to 'feel included,' or however you decide to sugar-coat it."
Luna bit her lip, "We could use your help."
"With what?"
"You took care of those viruses pretty handily today."
"Running tech is one thing. You don't need me to be a prop if I'm managing the sound system or whatever else."
"So you'll do it?" Luna perked up.
Subaru was immediately on guard again, "Do what?"
"'Run tech' as you so succinctly put it."
"I guess…"
His answer was hesitant, but it was still a 'yes.' Luna threw up her hands and cheered, drawing Kizamaro and Gonta's attention. They smiled, but didn't interfere. Subaru face was decorated by something that look like a cross between amusement and exasperation. Luna had the sudden urge to hug him, but immediately thought better of it. Things were certainly looking up.
I've been working on this a little bit every day for the past week and it totally paid off. I didn't do a ton of editing either since I just decided to get this out to you all (if there are spelling or grammar mistakes, that's your price). For those who asked to hear a little more about what's going on, here it is ;)
I hope everything makes sense. I'm winding a lot of separate plot points together here and trying to keep it as cohesive as possible. Please let me know if anything seems unnecessarily confusing.
Thanks for reading!
