Chapter 3: Behind closed doors
06:16 AM (Japan Time), Tuesday October the 4th…
"… This P – 13. Password: 9TX8Y34BD6312L57."
"Password acknowledged. This is Spiral. Report."
"T – 13 and G – 13 are about to start their missions."
"Don't be in a rush. A chance will come. Don't take any action until I explicitly order you to."
"Roger."
"Continue investigation! Make sure to find all data that exists on the target so that the operation proceeds smoothly. Don't forget that if something goes wrong and you're cornered…"
"… "Death will save us, but not "this" one."…"
"Good. Such is Oath Number 3 of SN."
"Glory to SN!"
An unidentified figure in an unlit room was having a radio exchange with someone using a voice distorter but the tone made it clear it was a man to begin with.
They spoke in a hush and some low-tuned hums could be heard nearby.
"And glory to our grand leader, Lord Void!"
"He expects you to fulfill the missions or die trying. Do not forget that."
"Yes! I acknowledge the commands of Lord Void."
"Excellent. We shall speak again, comrade. Glory to SN!"
The transmission ended and the figure chuckled under their breath as they began to interact with several holographic screens.
Data scrolled down them and the figure read it.
"How supreme and magnificent. As expected of Lord Void!"
09:58 AM (Manila Time)…
"… Say. Isn't it hot today?"
"How odd."
"The AC's broken?"
"It was working normally."
"Hello? AC center? What's with the AC?"
"It's out of order… Forever!"
"What! There's an intruder!"
"Impossible! How did they skip the firewall?"
"Piece of a cake! I used a proxy to dig a tunnel underneath it! Feel the fear!"
"Fatty rascal. Fight someone of your size."
"Wha~t?"
"I'll be waitin' out there…!"
"Wait!
"Who'll wait when ya tell 'em to? Mr. Diplodocus."
"DAMN YOU~!"
The workers of a bank in Manila had begun to complain how the air had suddenly turned hotter.
One tried to contact the Navi in charge of the AC but the only reply was a growl and a cocky voice.
Someone else called out to the intruder and they apparently ran off.
"Security! I want to know what's going on! Show me the sensor footage NOW!" One of the employees ordered.
"Exactly!"
"We're on it! Two Navis have intruded: as the first one said they dug a tunnel starting 50 meters away from the firewall to avoid perimeter detection…" One of the security staff reported.
"The safes are unharmed?" Another asked.
"So it'd seem. The intruder apparently decided to mess with the AC first before trying to steal from them."
"This must be kept under wraps or else our reputation will sink!"
"Footage available…"
"I ain't a Diplodocus! I'm FLAME MAN!"
"Fire Sword's lame power-up Navi!"
"Fire Sword? Hinoken – sama! The name's Hinoken – sama!"
"I'm surprised! Thought the ghost deleted the loyalty program."
Flame Man, the Navi that'd belonged to Hinoken, was the intruder that had dug a tunnel to get inside.
"I'm Shunoros! Raging Flame! Let's brawl here, in the lobby! I told everyone today was maintenance day to avoid trouble." The opponent called out off-screen.
"Damn you pests! I still remember how one of you gave me trouble not too long ago!"
"Uncle Moriarty loves trouble and double!"
"Wha~t?"
Raging Flame's helmet was built of two parts split by an orange edge; the upper part, ending over the forehead, was crimson, while the bottom part reached until the start of the nose.
His hair freely flew out from behind him and; transparent red shades covered his eyes.
Two metallic horns emerged from the sides, above the ears; the base was made of black circles.
The forehead had a metallic trapeze, which had the drawing of the "honoo" or "Flame" kanji in orange color set against a black background.
The orange chest armor with a thin metallic edge had the Alphabet letters "RF" colored yellow drawn on the center.
There was a section continuing further from the edge, colored crimson, and reached the upper chest, past the shoulders.
The shoulders were covered by crimson armor, the center of which had a black path with three metallic circles set on them in a triangle formation.
There was a bit of exposed arm covered by black "skin" before the forearms' armor (starting at the elbows) began.
The forearms' armor started with a circle protecting the elbow and a metallic diamond-shaped piece set over the upper edge, aiming upwards.
The rest of the forearm and wrist were protected by crimson cylindrical armor, while the hands were covered in black "skin" too.
The rest of the torso and legs until the knees were unarmored and covered in black "skin".
The crimson boots had pyramid-shaped knee guards with cyan grooves running down the four sides; the soil was white and thick.
"Raging Magma~!"
He built up energy on his weapon and shot a stream of red-hot magma to Flame Man but he turned green and bounced it off.
The ground suddenly rumbled and some of it burst upwards creating a shockwave, so he lost balance and collapsed into a side.
"Heat Missile!"
A missile shot out next and it hit Flame Man, but he managed to jump back to his feet and growled.
"Fire Breath!"
"Raging Magma!"
"What intensity!"
Both attacks met head-on and exploded, generating pools of magma on the surroundings along with flames.
Flame Man summoned a swarm of 8 "Chample SP" Viruses that rushed for Raging Flame but he a Break Count Bomb.
He threw it at the ground and jumped away as the explosion took them out, but Flame Man jumped towards him.
"Jet Black Flame Tower!"
Several Flame Towers sprouted around Raging Flame and converged into him but his body glowed as they began to spiral around his body.
He accumulated them into the shape of a ball and, the next second, it'd become a beam.
The beam headed for Flame Man and his flames turned green.
The beam split into 8 streams of flames that circled around Flame Man and began to suck up the green flames.
Raging Flame drew two Flame Swords, which he used to attack the main body taking profit that it lacked defenses.
Flame Man shot back his Fire Breath but Raging Flame didn't mind it as he gathered the flames again and shot the beam.
It pierced through Flame Man's body from above in a straight line so he collapsed into the ground with a groan and a thud.
"Damn it all! I'm INVINCIBLE!"
"There we go again." XY grumbled.
"Danna. Did you like the boilin' battle?"
"Hard to say. You, citizen, did try to use some of the parts you described in your exposition earlier but you clearly rely too much on that "invincible" mode and do not realize it has its weaknesses too. You surely lowered the guard because the opponent was of Flame Attribute as well. You thought it would make no difference. But anything can me a difference."
"Y-yes, sir…!"
"He proved to be much more capable than you. I think you need to boil your brains before burning your body. Come back."
The "Phoenix" effect happened and the guy vanished so Raging Flame shrugged and dived into the tunnel Flame Man had bothered to dig.
He emerged on the start of it and walked away while humming a tune.
"Stop!"
"Who…?"
A Heel Navi with an eyepatch over the right eye dropped in and looked like he was about to start a karate match given his pose.
"I'm the king of karate!"
"And what if?"
"You're mild!"
"Say that again."
"You're a smoldering flame!"
"T-this jerk…!"
"You lack an ignition point!"
"You…!
"Scan Flash!"
"What the…!?"
A flash happened and the next second the guy was gone, so Raging Flame blinked and frowned.
"What the hell was that about, anyway? Some wannabe…? Or there's more to it…? Better tell the Prince…"
What did the jerk say? Scan Flash? A flash to hide a scan? Did the guy scan me? But… What for? This reeks! Let's report ASAP!
20:48 PM (Japan Time)…
"… So this is the place, Kage?"
"Yeah, Zarashe. According to Zero's info…"
"What's our mission?"
"Scout it out…"
"Alright."
"We're authorized to counterattack if we're attacked so… Let's wait for the guys to crack security."
Two guys were standing inside of a forest and near an armored door leading to what seemed to be a cave.
"Maybe there'll be a freak of light and dark, Kage?"
"How funny. Zarashe."
One of them, named Kage, had blonde hair and, since he'd put sunglasses on, his eyes weren't visible.
His choice of clothing consisted on a brown overcoat, a pair of jeans and black knee-tall boots.
He also wore a black wool bandana, which contained a five-pointed golden star set against a black background inside of a silver circle as emblem.
"Maybe you'll find a guy who'll call you Zekrom instead."
"Kage! That wasn't funny!"
Zarashe had black messy hair and had sunglasses on.
He could be around 16 or above too.
He sported a navy blue coat, jeans and white sneakers.
"You two. Stop discussing." A commanding voice ordered through their PETs (currently inside of their coats' pockets).
"R-roger, Slur – sama."
"I thought you were the serious operatives here. Or do I need to be disappointed?" Slur questioned in an icy tone of voice.
"N-no, ma'am." Both quickly replied.
"Then quit the pointless discussion. If you do not want to anger me."
Both gulped and Slur fumed before the transmission ended.
"She's on the edge again…! Tozukana – san messed it up again! That joke of the other day…!" Zarashe whispered to Kage.
"Sheesh. That gal… She never learns!"
"Has she ever, anyway? Miquel – kun."
"Andy."
Andy was Navi who was about standard height, that is, over a meter and sixty, maybe closer to seventy.
His eyes' irises were a mix of red and golden and he was calm.
Some silver-colored hair could be seen emerging from beneath his helmet as well.
His whole body with the exception of his forearms and boots was painted in a bright silver color.
The boots and forearms, however, had been tinted in a slightly rusted bronze color.
A bronze-colored thin vertical stripe ran across his body from the neck to the end of the crotch crossing over his silver-edged chest emblem (the very same on Kage's bandana).
"Where's Beta?" Zarashe asked.
"Coming… He wanted to double-check to make sure there aren't bobby traps… Security is very, very amateur."
"Such as?"
"There's a heat signature in the deepest room… All doors are cheap wooden doors and have no locks save for the last one! It's armored…"
"Only one signature? Human or Copy Roid?"
"Copy Roid."
"So someone managed to get their hands on one. Someone must still have a copy of the stolen schematics and managed to build one."
"Sorry for the wait."
"Beta."
"How'd it go, Beta X?"
"Found a bear trap like those in Bio 4… Disposed of it. Easy money."
Beta X Navi was close to a meter and seventy centimeters tall.
His helmet was black although its edges were navy blue; the golden letters "BX" were set on the center of it, surrounded by a silver edge.
His eyes' irises were blood red.
Additional white armor protected the chest and his chest emblem contained a golden "X" surrounded by a red edge.
His main body was blue, and the edges were black.
His shoulder armor was white and had golden, silver and bronze bands spread horizontally across their surface.
White armor protected his forearms and elbows and had golden lines extending vertically across their surface.
His wrists were golden while the hands were covered in black "skin".
His boots were white with wing motifs drawn across them; the soils were white.
Two "wings" with a golden frame and white body emerged from his back and extended for some tens of centimeters.
He could be about the same height and age of Andy and the other 2 Operators.
"Let's go, then."
"OK."
Both Operators drew Beretta guns with silencers and nodded to each other before Kage pushed the armored door open.
They slowly walked down a corridor, which had a badly-working set of fluorescent lights.
The walls had what seemed to be blood splattered over them there and there and drawing different patterns, so they couldn't avoid feeling a shiver go down their spines.
"Look! There's something written there."
"German. Andy. Can you translate?"
"Sure. Let's see… "Das Böse weiß vom Guten, aber das Gute vom Bösen nicht. Selbsterkenntnis hat nur das Böse."… It means "Evil knows of the Good, but Good does not know of Evil. Knowledge of oneself is something only Evil has." …" Andy translated.
"Quick online search leads me to Franz Kafka's The Blue Octavo Notebooks, 1954…"
"Who'd want to quote something from about 60 years ago?" Zarashe wondered.
"Maybe it's one of those madmen who read too much into it. It gives me the vibes. And reminds me of something…"
"Biohazard Revelations? Those Veltro guys and their obsession with Dante's The Divine Comedy…" Andy suggested.
"Devil. I hope it's not a bunch of guys like them." Zarashe gulped.
"We'll soon find out."
They advanced forward and gasped when they found a naked headless man's body stabbed into the wall with a spear through the chest, but Andy approached it and examined it.
"It's a mannequin." He reported.
"Whoever's here IS mad!" Zarashe growled.
"Some psycho alright."
"Navis can go psycho?" Zarashe asked Beta X with increasing worry and angst.
"There are cases. Most common cause is that the can only process the same data over and over again because they have no other data: it turns them into broken cassette players that play back the same thing over and over again." Beta X explained.
"… Death… Death… True… or false… False… or true… I am Gregor… I am the monster… Save me, Grete… Don't abandon me in the darkness, in the madness, in the aloofness…" A voice whispered close by.
"Yikes. Worse than a horror movie! Living it on the flesh!"
"… Evil is the radiation of the human consciousness… in certain transitional… positions…"
"Quiet now…" Kage whispered.
"It is not actually… the sensual world that is a mere appearance… what is so is…"
"Now he'll claim he's not evil! How classical." Andy fumed.
"…the evil of it… which, admittedly… is what constitutes… the sensual world… in our eyes…" The voice continued whisperings.
"I'm fed up. Let's just charge in. It's a Navi, anyway. If he wants to go down with some struggle then no – one will complain. What's your opinion, ma'am?"
"I feel like they are dangerous. Proceed with caution. Andy, Beta X. You two handle it." Slur calmly ordered.
Both Navis drew Mega Cannon Battle Chips and nodded to each other and they leant their backs against the sides of the armored door.
Beta X reached out with his left hand and both rushed into the barely lit room.
A lamp swaying in the air made the light shift positions the whole time so the occupant of the room couldn't be properly seen.
A broken giggle with some mechanical sounds mixed in rang out.
"Flesh…! To be devoured…! To be devoured…!" The voice whispered.
"This guy's NUTS. Totally." Andy grumbled.
"That light's messing with the IR vision. I don't think it's a coincidence: don't lower the guard." Beta X warned.
"So you finally came… As planned…"
"What!"
"Did you like my acting? Worth an Oscar, isn't it?"
"Sure." Both drily replied with some annoyance.
"Who are you?" Andy demanded.
"Me? I'm a shadow. No more no less."
"Charmed." Beta X drily taunted.
"Matumba, Katunga, Matamba, Patunga! You're now non-legged ducks!"
"Oh hell. Not Alfred again." Both groaned.
"Who?" Slur asked.
"Some crazy Mexican the radio trio used to chat about time ago… They posted some of his crazy home-made videos…"
"But is it relevant?"
"Don't think so… Must be a way to increase our annoyance…"
"… And to lower your guards… Hmpf…"
"What's your goal? Why did you call us here?" Beta X demanded.
"Answer us."
"Who knows? Maybe I just want to know if the legends about you two are exaggerated or not."
"Legends? We've been around for less than 3 years!"
"But they called Solid Snake a legend, no? And The Boss. And Big Boss."
"That's true but…"
"Keep your eyes open, you 2… It reeks of a trap." Andy whispered to the Operators.
"Slow! A trap indeed! Subtle! Precious! Sublime! Detailed! Grand! Absolute!" He began to gloat.
"Shit." The 4 of them growled.
"Prove it." Slur challenged.
"Sure thin'… Copy Flash!"
There was a bright flash followed by quick footsteps and a giggle.
When it cleared, the Navi in the room was gone and the 2 Navis were growling as their sensory input re-established.
"I felt like a very fast and superficial scan was executed on me but it couldn't get past my outer body…" Beta X grumbled.
"Same here…! Guys! You alright?"
"That flash was too powerful! My eyes ache despite the sunglasses and all!" Zarashe growled.
"The guy ran past us! The rascal!"
"Chase them? Wait!"
There was a hum not too far from there.
"Dimensional Converter… So it was no amateur. Maybe they got the data from a server of the Seraphs which Kuroban used time ago…"
"What do we do?"
"Analyze the scene for any hints: if there are none then pull out from there… Leave some monitoring devices in case the culprit decides to come back." Slur ordered.
"Roger."
"There's a switch for normal lights… On!"
Andy turned on the room's lights but it was bare of any furniture, and the walls were clean as well.
"Nothing… Wait! Let devil bite me…"
Andy grabbed a piece of torn paper from the ground, which had the Alphabet letters "SN" written on it using a black ink fountain pen given the thickness of the writing.
"How unusual to leave something hand-written behind."
"SN? I have not heard of it. I will tell Zero to start investigating ASAP… I have a bad feeling about this." Slur muttered.
Both walked outside of the cave and through the forest to emerge into a small non-paved road where a discrete black Toyota had been parked.
Kage unlocked it and they all climbed in (Zarashe as passenger and the Navis on the rear).
"Alright. Gonna leave you on the warehouse, Zarashe, and then go back to my turf. Got some pending job to do…"
"It's unusual for you to show up during the week, anyway."
"I'm here because Zero intercepted that mysterious tweet…"
"I know! "I want Kage and Zarashe with their pals to come meet me. I'm at…"… And there was encoded GPS coordinates which told us where to come." Zarashe continued.
Kage turned on the car and the lights to drive away; he also put on the radio to try to cheer up the mood.
"By the way, Zarashe… Did you get Bio 6? I thought you'd reserved it online, didn't you?"
"I won't spoil it, but the gameplay style is just like 5's one. If you've been seeing the trailers and demos, though, you get the idea."
"I do. But I think I won't have time to play it… Guess I'll watch over YouTube and if I have time I'll buy and play it myself too…"
"Spoiler ahead! Bio 6 has 6 lucky poses!" Beta X snickered.
"Only 1 month left, though… For Halo 4… What nerves!"
"I know. What a year! Two Bio titles on the same year: talk about surprising… Black 2 & White 2… Halo 4… A gaming year!"
"We're getting closer to town so we'll turn on the stealth." Andy warned.
"Remember that we're here and there are no ghosts in the machine!"
"Sure, sure." Zarashe replied.
The Navis became invisible and the car drove alongside the docks until it reached a small discrete warehouse.
Zarashe and Beta X (still invisible) came down and Andy (also invisible) climbed into the passenger seat.
"See you on the weekend." Kage told them.
"Sure. Bye."
The car left and Zarashe headed for a control panel to the right of the armored sliding door of the wall surrounding the warehouse.
He took out his sunglasses to reveal green eye irises and approached the screen.
He pressed his right hand against it and a retina scanner became visible: the scan finished and the door silently slid to the right so he stepped in.
He didn't spot the white figure that silently looked on from atop a nearby warehouse building while having their arms crossed…
21:41 PM (Japan Time)…
"… Man! I'm stuffed. Talk about a good dinner."
"A marchando dinner."
"Speaking of Spanish and all… Let's listen to the newest broadcast! I want to shake off tension."
"Me, too…"
Zarashe and Beta X stepped into a room the design of which was identical to that of Leon's but it had two beds instead of one.
Zarashe (sitting on the left bed) took off his coat and placed it on a perch on the wall.
He wore a brownish T-shirt underneath it and was now taking off his sneakers.
Beta X had sat down on the right bed and was interacting with the PET.
"… V! B! N! Welcome to a new edition of our show!"
"Today we bring forth…"The hedgehog"! And it's not Sonic The Hedgehog!"
"Good one." Zararashe laughed.
"… M alone at the beach! "I'll go have a dive before work. Let's go!" * yelp * "I had to fall head-on into a sea-hedgehog! I'll show it to Boss!"… "Hasn't come yet! I'll stuff into a glass of water so that it remains alive for a while!" F enters! "Today's HOT! What a DAY! A glass of water! I'll drink at once to refresh!"…* yelp *…"Boss! Did you see the sea-hedgehog I brought? Boss! Are you gonna eat it raw? Calm down, man! If you didn't like it then I throw it away! What a brute! I'll cover it with this towel."… "This heat…! Unbearable! I'll wash my face a bit to shake it off! How relieving… I'll dry… Lari, laro, lara~! My nape!"… "Calm down, Boss! It's not gonna happen again! Here, on a drawer!"…"
"Reminds me of the previous one about the goat… Why keep that hedgehog, anyway? Throw it away, man!"
"This guy's TOO dumb."
"Where do you get the idea that he won't need to search the drawers? Man!"
"…"Why! It's Mr. Cachaloting, one of my best customers! I'll draw the reports he asked of me!" * yelp *… "Hi, Mr. Filemón! How's the heat? Shake the hand, man! There!"… "MY HA~ND!"… "I, I…"… "I'll tell you what I think of these pranks! I DON'T find them funny! Don't run, no!"… I lost one of my best customers! I'm so gonna…!"… "Calm down, Boss! How about you give him my hedgehog as a present?"…"
"Sheesh. That guy…"
"Next! "Anti-theft traps"… "Mortadelo~! Come ASAP! Where are ya?"… "Coming, Boss! Trying out a disguise!"… "Another? I'm going to tell you what I think of them!"…"Boss! Why did you do it? I was trying out my porcupine disguise!"…F got the needles stabbed into the shoe! "Stop disguising! They entrusted me with the custody of the grand diamond owned by Maharajah Jamar – Al – Malaje! I'll keep it on the safe and remain here tonight as sentries! I'll remain next to the safe and you keep an eye on the window."…"Roger. Another night of sentry role… What a life!"…"I'll hide on the grandfather's clock and if a thief comes in I'll catch 'em!"… "What time is it? I'll check the clock! It's stopped! I'll tune it and let's see!"…" My nose!"…It twisted! "What pain! There's water here! HELP ME!"… "Boss? What are ya doin' with the tiger fish I bought? It's gonna die!"… "We'll talk about that LATER!"…"
"What chaos!" Beta X muttered.
Zarashe had put on navy blue pajamas and was now lying face-up on the bed.
His eyes were emerald green.
"…"Maybe the wind can sooth the pain."…"Why! Boss left! What if a thief comes in? I know! I'll get a rope and set a trap. The shutter's one will do."…M cuts it and the open windows hides F behind it! "Let's go!"… CRACK! "My nose! What pain!"…"
"…"If someone comes in they'll trip with the rope and into the quick concrete!"…"I'm gonna GRIND the guy into DUST!"… CHAP! "Gotcha! A thief! I'll check if the guy has any ID before bringing them to the station. What a coincidence! Filemón Pi, like the Boss! Filemón Pi?"…"
"Who'd think of using concrete as a trap, anyway? They could asphyxiate!"
"… "I'd say these two hairs are no coincidence… What a bad premonition! I'll break the concrete! Boss!"…"Don't run, no! I'll give you concrete! Drink all of it!"…"Don't bother! I prefer milky rice!"… F chases with a truck loaded with liquid concrete!"
"I'd rather use water! It creates sound, startles the thief and then you can catch them."
"…"The anonymous letter"…"Boss! You're in danger! I found this anonymous letter on the mail-box!"…"I'm gonna come to ya place, grab ya and hit ya with a steel beam 'till it melts! My word! X."… "Must be some gangster you sent to prison! We must defend the office!"… "I'll ready a trap! If he comes in through the window he'll fall into this basin with crabs!"… M opens the door and the blow sends F head-on into the basin! "Boss! I bring the grandpa's catapult!"… It's an old weapon shorter and wider than a shotgun, the muzzle's very wide! "What cold blood! He's in danger and was making crab soup!"…"This weapon's given me the idea for a trap! I used the gun as a trap I set on the door! When the assaulter comes in…!"… "Hi there! Would you buy a lotto number for the benefit of the gendarmes?"…A policeman comes in! Since the handle is lowered a rope passing through two pulleys is pulled and pulls the gun's trigger! The blast blows up the gun's mouth, breaks some of the door and blackens the visitor!"
"What bad timing! And why leave the door open, anyway?"
"That guy… The trap was good but…"
"… "Looks like you're not fond of sellers!"… "Boss, got…!"… "A gendarme! 100,000 pesetas of fine! I'm gonna give you gun!"… "B-but, Boss! The intention was good! Help me!"…"
"…"I readied another trap to see if he cools down."…"I better grab my pistol and do some maintenance."…F opens a door and a pot with something inside falls into his head! "Boss! What did ya do? That was a trap!"…"You call this a TRAP? You only tossed a pot of honey in the head!"…"Because it attracts the box's wasps…" … "WASPS! HELP ME~! Someone help me~!"…"Why, a cinema! I'll come in to have some fun time…"…"MOMMY!"… "WASPS!"… "HELP!"… "BRUTE~!"…"Devil! It must be a really BAD film!"…"You back? Did you outrun the wasps?"…"The wasps I did but not the crown! They've beaten me to a pulp!"…"Crowd? What crowd? Did you go somewhere, Boss? Help me!"…"
"Man! Wasps next. Talk about a painful trap."
"Are they sadists without knowing it? A basin of crabs, too."
"I hope Ikada – san doesn't get funny ideas." He sighed.
"Not like she'd dare."
"Let's hope so."
"… "You know what? Let's go have a walk so that the assaulter will fail!"… "Let's go!" "Why! Is that a letter addressed to me?"…"To you, Mr. Neighbor? Why. It's true. Don Homobono Silbátez!The postman must've mistaken the mail-box! But it's an anonymous letter filled with threats and…!"… "I don't doubt it! I get 40 of those each day! I'm a soccer referee!"…"It was addressed to the neighbor! To the NEIGHBOR! GONNA CRUSH YA!"…"But, Boss! I didn't look at the envelope! CALM DOWN!"…"
"It's true that referees can get those when there are the typical hooligans that believe the referee wasn't impartial and all…" Beta X sighed.
"…. Day's last! "The button"!"
"I've got a bad feeling about this."
"No wonder."
"…"I've been charged with bringing this super-secret portable missile to the spatial center and…"… "Watch out, Boss! You almost stepped into my kangaroo tail!"… "The missile! It's falling to the street!"…"
"…"Mr. Butíjez's car's got the rocket accessory he wanted. I'll ready the bill before he comes pick it up."… The missiles falls and plunges into the engine! "Now that I've got that rocket accessory my car will rock! Devil! DEVIL!"… "But, sir! Don't you like the accessory?"…"I'll give you "ACCESSORY"! COME BACK 'ERE!"… "There it is, on that car! Help me carry it to the spatial center!"…"Be careful 'cause it's armed!"…"Wait, this button bothers me when I carry it! Maybe by stuffing it inside!"…"No! Don't! It's the TRIGGER!"…Missiles flies on, F clinging into it! "Boss! Do you carry it alone? Ya don't need me?"… A gardener stands by a tree! "Cut off some of the branches!"…"OK!" ZOOM! CRACK!"
"Devil. Riding on a missile! Who entrusts a civilian with a missile, anyway? Are the military stupid or don't they know how to do their job?"
"…The missiles flies and breaks the tree! "Devil! What…? I said the BRANCHES! BRANCHES!"..."But, Boss, I… HELP ME!"… "What a day! I feel like I'm flying!"… A bride who was on a church's doorstep, about to go in with the groom climbs off a car… ZOOM! The missiles flies by and the tip catches part of the dress, dragging her along! "Why! Some are really in a rush to marry!"…"Devil! Someone move that house asides! Move it!"… "Since it's my birthday I'm going to celebrate it with his firecracker."… "Be careful, Melecio! You're too reckless!"…BOOM! "My dear! What a firecracker!"… "Melecio! What a brute you are!"… "Brutal vandalism! They entrust him with a super-secret missile and uses it to interrupt a wedding and blowing up a building! The gendarmerie is tracing the rascal that…"… "I'm gonna teach you about firing ROCKETS! I'm so gonna…!"… "B-but, Boss… The button… I couldn't know… HOLD BACK, MAN!"…"
"So! This is all for today! V-B-N! Off Air!"
"Crazy as always but not as really crazy as the guy from before! What do you think it was?"
"Maybe it's someone who thinks it's REALLY clever and hopes that with a glimpse of our potential he can build a weapon to counter us! They'll surely fail. And maybe the "SN" thing is a red herring."
"If you say so! Tomorrow will be a better day, anyway. early. Night, Beta."
"Night."
Zarashe pulled out the covers, slid inside of the bed and placed them atop him again.
He was soon sleeping but Beta X looked unconvinced so he walked over to the PC and began to interact with it.
"SN! A list in Wikipedia! A Brussels Airlines' IATA code with two related entries: Sabena's IATA code & SN Brussels Airlines's IATA code. Buddhist scriptures: Samyutta Nikaya & Sutta Nipata…Tin, sthene, symmetric group… Serial number, space network, spotter network… This last one…? "A system for reporting location and severe weather observations of storm spotters and chasers."… It doesn't sound like it in the slightest."
He continued searching as worry began to show up on his face.
"… Substantia nigra, supernova, SN postcode area, Standards Norway, Senegal's ISO country code, Stronnictwo Narodowe (National Party): a Polish political party… Shona language's ISO 639 alpha-2 code… Sine nomine… Surname… SMS Schleisen… SN machine-gun… Zero. Nothing all. Better leave it up to the pros." He gave up.
I tried to sound confident to Zarashe – kun, but I've got a bad vibe about this!
"Beta, Danna! Wanna have a raging boiling brawl?" Napalm Man laughed.
"Chut! Lower it! Zarashe – kun is sleeping! Also, not interested!"
"Man! You lack passion, man!"
"What's that, another of Burner Man's "adventurous spirit" stuff? Tell the guy that clichés in fiction don't correlate with reality!" He grumbled.
"OK! In that case gonna find some King Kong wannabe! See ya!"
"Sheesh! Burner Man, you overdid it. One day Slur – sama will get fed up and you will be in the receiving end of Her Grace's anger!"
That aside, I've got a hunch that this incident is not something triffle! We gotta be on the watch out for any happenings!