Episode 3: Alive (Extra)
"Oi, Monica! What are you doing?"
The small girl barely turned her head to see the three older ones behind her, then returned to studying her map, pencil safely stashed behind one ear as she traced possible routes with a hard-pressed finger. "I'm working with a map," she said in the same agitated tone one might say "I'm breathing" to the same question. "Don't you people have eyes?"
"Hey, hey, let us see!" Undeterred by her prickly response, they crowded around, eager to catch a glimpse of whatever had so captivated the young photographer. After all, potential clients were passing on either side and the girl seemed completely ignorant of them. Why had she bothered getting a new camera and wagon if she wasn't going to use them? "Are you going somewhere, Monica?"
"That's a secret," the girl replied in self-importance. "Special Unit only."
"You are, you are!" They pressed even closer. "Tell us! Where?"
"Back off, you bimbos!" She swatted them away, using her map as a fan; indignant, they stepped backwards a few paces. "Haven't you people ever heard of personal space? And I'm going on a rescue mission! Happy? It's very important that you don't tell anyone, though. His life might depend on it."
"His?" one of the girls asked, brushing a piece of her blond hair out of her face.
"You can't mean--" her redheaded friend gasped.
"Not Dai??" shrieked the final member of the trio. "You're going after Dai??"
Instantly they were all in her face again. "Take us too! We want to come! We want to save Daisuke!"
"Jeez," muttered Monica. "Don't even know where he is or what he's doing yet." Louder she barked, "No, you can't go! There's too many people as it is! I didn't want to take Kyoko but--"
"Kyoko's going too?" Linking elbows with the small girl, the older ones hoisted her to her feet from the table where she'd been sitting near her wagon. "Now, c'mon, Monica. You know you want us to come along to see Dai."
"We'll pay you," offered the tallest of the three, opening her purse and taking out her wallet; instantly her two colleagues mimicked the motion. "How much do you want?"
To say the offer wasn't tempting would have been a lie, but Monica's mind was made up. Already she had a "useless" category in her head as she mapped out her plans, currently filled by Kyoko Milchan ("useful" was divided into two groups—smart people (Shun Aurora) and strong people (J). She had willfully neglected to fit herself into a category), and had no desire to add more people to her already tenuous equation.
"No way," she objected. "You'll eat and take up space on the boat. Plus you'll get in the way."
The pronouncement was met with disappointed groans and whining, but on the point Monica remained firm. She needed J to find Daisuke and to steer the boat, as well as to deal with any thugs they ran into on Magnagalia. She needed Shun to come up with plans of action. Kyoko...Kyoko could stay and mind the boat. Yes, that would work.
"What are you going in, anyway?" the redhead asked.
Monica returned to tracing possible routes on her slightly tattered map. "Kyoko's going to try and get us a military boat," she replied, inwardly seething that some cosmic idiot had dropped a chain of islands right in the way of her straight passage to Magnagalia. "We'll think of something."
"Then let us do that for Dai," offered the tallest. "I have a client with a yacht he's offered to take me out on. I could say yes on the condition that first you get to bor--"
"EWWW!!! NO!!!" Monica threw her pencil at them. "Go away! Stop bothering me! If you really want to help Daisuke, keep out of the way!"
"All right," they agreed shakily, backing off and into the crowd. "Let us know, Monica..."
"Idiots," Monica sniffed. "Don't you think so, Parsley?"
The donkey in question snorted and twitched his tail. Monica ruffled his mane, surveying the line she'd slashed across the ocean. Seeing it like that, it was so long. And Magnagalia itself was so big...
No, she had J for that. Her plan was one hundred percent foolproof.
And, knowing Daisuke, it would have to be.
O0o0o0o0o0o
She had always liked the ocean, from the day she'd first set eyes on it to the day it brought her people back to her. Long hair dancing in the wind, the woman dangled a lazy leg off the deck of her people's enormous nautical transport and watched the light glance off the waves, enjoying the spray in her face and the calls of seabirds wheeling around her head. What a beautiful day. It was almost perfect enough to make her forget what awaited the city spread out behind her.
"Nona."
Hearing the summons, she stood, turned to smile at her companion. "What is it?" Something—she knew not what—fluttered in her chest; could it be hope? Hope of what? For the people of the city? But she had been the one to make the decision!
The man's face was grim. "They sent a representative to negotiate with us for more time and assistance in correcting their errors. He's...well, I think you should see him."
"Oh, he can't be all that bad," she laughed, tucking a piece of her windblown hair behind one ear. "He must be a very good man, to plead for an entire city."
"Nona, they sent Leorza."
One hand grappled for the silver railing behind her, caught it and held it fast. The lock of hair dislodged itself and swung dangerously in front of her right eye. "Wh-what?" she gasped. "Leorza's here? And alive?"
"Quite alive," a clipped, pristine voice reported as another, older man joined her on the deck. "You look beautiful as always, Nona. But I thought you would have returned to Judoh on the last convoy."
"And I thought you had planned to stay there yourself," she replied evenly, balance regained and a new levelness sneaking into her voice. "Wasn't that what you worked out with my brother? You would work for him as 'Lor--'"
"Echigo is dead," the man informed her calmly, dispassionately, smoothing his pale mustache as he spoke. "At least, the man who named himself Serge Echigo is dead. The torch has been passed—snatched, as it were, from your dying brother's limp fingers. And I think, Nona Aurora, that you'll be most interested in the identity of the young thief."
o0o0o0o0o0o
At last, he could rid himself of the stench of the incineration plant with no immediate sight of its returning. Wringing out his long blond hair with a blue towel Phia brought him, Shun slipped his glasses on and sighed. Fogged up. Again. Technology could implant chips in eyeglasses that allowed men to see through the eyes of androids, but it couldn't keep condensation off. Mankind's conquest of the universe could only go so far.
Affixing the final button on his collar, he slipped his necktie around his throat and knotted it deftly. Phia watched him in silence, having taken the towel from him once he completed his use of it; she held it close to herself, looking awkwardly like a child with a security blanket. He suppressed another sigh.
"You may as well say what you're thinking," he informed her, checking his part in the mirror and finding his overall appearance satisfactory. Perhaps not quite the same man stared back at him as had a year ago, but overall he had borne his fate well. Yet Shun also knew not to trust his outward appearance to betray his inner thoughts and state. He had trained himself in the art of unreadability too thoroughly for that. Phia, though...he could read Phia all too well.
Coming up behind him, she looped her arm around his and snuggled close, wet towel blotting his shirt in addition to his still-damp hair. This at least was a welcome progression the past year had wrought: despite both of them getting shot for and by each other, some emotions simply could be not deterred and had been followed along their natural courses. "I just want to be sure you know what you're doing," she murmured, not meeting his eyes. "After all, even if you save him you'll be arrested when you get back and--"
"Phia." He took her chin gently, tilted it up towards his. Deep blue eyes met pale green: the former overflowing, the latter frozen. He owed it to her to tell her his decision...but could he trust her? If he couldn't trust her now, could he truly trust no one in the world? For the sake of the promise he'd made to his absent brother, he had to believe. "I don't know if I'll be coming back."
"You think it's that dangerous?" Suspicion quirked her brows briefly.
"I don't have anything to come back to here," he said softly. "Present company exempted."
"So you'll leave for your own sake?" Anger flared, then simmered down as she sought to control herself. "You'll help them and then just—slip away?"
"I promised Daisuke I would learn to forgive," he told her absently, no longer focused on her face but rather on some construct only his eyes could see. "I don't think I can do that here in Judoh."
"So you'll use him to justify your own wounded pride." She did not say it with malice, but sadness. "Your dignity is worth more than..."
"Than you?" Biting her lip, she nodded, obviously upset at him for daring to voice what even she, with how outspoken she had learned to become, had refrained from admitting. "Like I said, Phia, I don't know yet. I don't even know if we'll find him or if he's even there. But I have to take at least that step."
"I know. I...I want you to." The uneasiness faded from her eyes, loosened her mouth. "I want you to be there for him."
"Like I always have been." He smiled briefly. "He needs me after all, Phia."
She hadn't put it in that light. Now, even though he held her tight and though his lips sought hers, even though she let him press her against the mirror and prove the fire she'd first admired in Shun Aurora was far from extinguished, fear tightened her heart and would not release it. Fear for Shun's safety...and for what little progress he had made on the road to compassion. How quickly could those footsteps be erased? She had a sinking feeling it would be all too easy. And then, even if he decided to return, she would have lost him for good.
O0o0o0o0o0o
Outside the shining glass windows, the moon slowly rose in the velvet sky. The board was set. The clock was ticking. But Clair Leonelli could not make the next move of his grand chess game.
His hat was missing.
Digging through the ornate chest of drawers in which he'd sequestered his disguise for traveling the streets of Judoh unnoticed and unsupervised, he could find his sunglasses but not his cap. He never used one without the other; dammit, he remembered putting them both back right after visiting with Shogun only the previous day! Where could it have gone?
In a fit of sudden frustration he yanked the drawer out with all his might, a bestial snarl of frustration ripping from his lips; the heavy drawer crashed to the ground, narrowly missing his feet. Heedless of the noise, he flung the contents of the drawer around the room, emptying it in a frantic search for the absent item. It just didn't make sense. It should have been there! It was supposed to be there! No one knew about it! No one could even get into his room with the new lock in place, save--
"Looking for this, Vampire?" Sidling into the room, Giovanni held up Clair's hat in one hand while pocketing his key with the other. He nodded towards the open suitcase on the young man's bed, seemingly ignorant of the mess strewn about elsewhere. "Going somewhere?"
"Giovanni!" growled Clair, making a grab for his cap in blind anger. "What do you think you're--"
"No, Vampire, that's my line." Letting the boy snatch back his stolen item, the bodyguard crossed his arms and planted himself firmly in the doorway. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Don't be fresh with me, Giovanni," Clair spat at the tall man, sulky and angry both because he'd been caught and because he'd been scolded. "Show some respect."
"Hey, I just didn't want to miss out on my chance to bid a fond farewell." Giovanni tossed an extra pair of Clair's pants he picked up from the floor into the suitcase before snapping the case shut. "Bring back a souvenir. But you haven't gotten away with anything."
Clair started. Giovanni, seeing his reaction, continued.
"I got a call from Wei yesterday afternoon. Wanted to know who your lady friend was, because he couldn't fathom any other reason for Vampire to be running around in a shitty disguise. Sniggering like a happy pig, the bastard. Now, I know there's no lady and so does the pig. What I do know, but he doesn't yet, is the mysterious disappearance of Company Vita's speedboat yacht. Now, where could that have gone?"
"Giovanni..." Clair drew out the name through his teeth. "Don't make me punish you. Out of my way. And if I hear that you've told Mauro..."
"There's an easy solution to that," his bodyguard pointed out as he went to leave. "Take me with you."
Clair snorted, then laughed softly to himself. "Your intent all along?" he asked over his shoulder, amused even through his monstrous irritation with the man. Credit had to be given where credit was due. It was the Leonellis' way.
"Something like that. Hey, don't disappoint me, Vampire. I just got my suit re-hemmed but Judoh doesn't seem to be hosting any parties where I can show it off."
"Magnagalia won't be either," Clair warned him, though he sounded a little disappointed at the prospect. "Better pack it anyway, though. Just in case."
o0o0o0o0o0o
Daisuke, lying on the bedpad, had run out of possible shapes the cracks on the holding cell's ceiling could constitute. In fearful anticipation of the evening's proclamation, the city had switched to half power to conserve as much energy as possible before the generators shut down, so he turned his attention to combining the shadows with the cracks and seeing what such amalgamations yielded. He had successfully conjured out of the wiggly shapes "a car," "a snake," and "a monster from some far-fetched horror novel" when a rattling at his door broke his concentration. Rolling over onto his side, he stared into a pair of bright eyes.
"Don't make too much noise," warned the young woman playing with the lock; it fell open in her ash-pale hands and silently the door swung open. "I do not wish to be caught with my mission unfulfilled."
"Mission?"
"I have orders to take you away as quietly as possible. Through the Road."
"Well, well." Strolling casually out of the cell, Daisuke appraised his rescuer with an only seemingly casual eye. Around his age, she came up to about his eye level, with ragged pale blue hair straggling halfway down her back. Most of her tight-fitting clothes were black or blue to blend better in with the shadows. Only her eyes, luminous in the near-darkness, stood out from her silhouette. "And who might you be, eh?"
Unblinkingly she answered him, then took his hand and steered him out of the room as he stumbled in surprise. "Usagi."
o0o0o0o0o0o
Parking her bicycle in a back alley where Kyoko hoped it wouldn't get stolen again, though she had grave doubts on the subject, she readjusted her backpack of supplies and unstrapped the bullet case from the back of her bike. At this rate, she would be owing the military her next six paychecks just to compensate for the ammunition her grandfather procured for her on the sly. The other finances, however, were in order: her firearm permission form lay neatly folded in the empty Special Unit safe, and the illegal activities report was safely tucked into a manila folder on her desk for delivery to Safety proper upon her return.
The bullet pendant hanging around her neck bumped against her reassuringly, reminding her of the necessity of her infractions; the sound of her tall boots crunching confidently on the pavement bolstered her resolve. She had chosen once again to dress the part of the vigilante savior and made a bold, if skimpy, statement in black leather.
Heading down to the shore where she, Monica, and Shun had agreed to meet—the very port where she had been given the pendant—her heart sank at the sound of voices carrying from the area. If they hadn't been caught already, they certainly would be soon if they weren't a little more stealthy. What had gotten Monica so worked up, anyway?
The presence of and insignia on the large second boat in their "secret meeting space" answered all her questions without even needing to see the two men arguing with her comrades.
"--and I simply will not travel with that criminal!"
"You're one to talk, Dictator! I owe you, though, so I may be able to tolerate having you around. Then again, we may just be even. You stuck your flunky in my position. So I just took yours."
"Vampire!"
"Ah, Kyoko." J alone turned to greet her and properly processed her befuddled facial expression. "Clair and Giovanni wish to come along. They have offered us their boat and supplies, as well, but Shun is less than receptive."
"What's Monica think, though?" Kyoko asked, watching the young girl bounce furiously between scolding Shun and Clair. "I get the idea that her word is law on this trip."
"She has not yet decided." J rotated his shoulders, limbering his joints. "But a decision must be reached soon. A man knows when to argue and when to compromise. And while they debate, the night slips away."
"Plus they're loud," sighed Kyoko, already tired. "Monica, what's--"
"All right!" Ignoring Kyoko's arrival, Monica pointed at Clair and his henchman. "You win! We'll take you and your boat—but only because you say it's faster!"
"She'll make the trip in half time, with the right captain," Clair replied smoothly, the beginnings of a smile toying with his lips. He jerked his cocky head towards J. "The machine there should be able to handle her."
"I can process incoming data at that velocity. It should not be problematic."
"But it leaves us at the mercy of that--"
"You speak of mercy when you can reprogram that to kill me on a whim?"
"Excuse me?" Kyoko sidled up to Giovanni as Shun, Clair, and Monica broke into an argument again. The mobster looked down and started.
"Oh, it's you again, miss! Do you always wear that on commando missions?"
"This is only my second," she confessed. "I can't call that an 'always.' Um, what's going on? Not to be rude, but why are you two here?"
Giovanni sighed, scratched his dark head. "I don't really know myself, lady. We heard about Magnagalia, then about the half-Celestial...and the next thing I know Vampire's sneaking around Judoh setting up this little imposition. Guess he found out about the little lady's plan somewhere and decided to hitch a ride. Things have been pretty boring on our side of the tracks lately." He grinned. "Me, I'm just here to see he doesn't blow himself up on his own fireworks."
"I...see." She didn't, not entirely. But she understood enough. "I guess you didn't know about Shun."
"Hell, I didn't know anything. But I'm with the old man. The night's getting away from us, and no matter how much the cops love you guys, they sure would love to nab us for something. Oi, old man!" He gestured to J, catching the android's attention. "Fire her up; we've got to get going!"
"Roger," replied J, stomping over to the boat and boarding just as Monica snapped at Shun, "So are you coming or aren't you?"
The blond man set his jaw and cast his eyes towards the ground, indecisive. Clair stifled a yawn and vaulted onto the vessel. "I'm taking the master bedroom," he informed the company. "It's been a long night and I'm tired."
"What makes you the leader now???" Monica demanded, jumping on board herself in pursuit of the young don's retreating back. "Tagalongs don't get to make decisions! You come back here!"
The engine started. "Kyoko, Shun. Are you coming?" J asked, deep voice rolling out over the waves.
"Coming!" Kyoko called back tinnily, and, climbing on board, turned back to Shun. "What about you, Chi—er, Mr. Aurora?" She held out her hand, not sure if she wanted him to take it or not. It was hard to believe that once the idea of sharing a living space with Shun Aurora would have set her heart hammering; the crush had faded in the fires of the coup. His actions a year ago had appalled her—but still, she wanted to believe in him. For Daisuke's sake if nothing else. "Do you still want to come? It's really the Special Unit's job; I'm sure no one will hold it against you if you--"
Taking her hand gracefully, he accepted her assistance in climbing onto the yacht. "Thank you, Milchan. And we will be living in close quarters for some time now. You had best call me Shun."
"Then call me Kyoko, Sh-Shun." He was going to try. He really was going to try. Good for him! Daisuke would be so proud...
"And what are we?" asked Giovanni, coming back over from making sure J knew the ins and out of the boat's controls. "Besides unwanted intruders?"
"You are exactly that, in this conversation at least," Shun replied tersely; Kyoko tried to stifle a giggle but failed. So Clair Leonelli had thrown his support to Daisuke out of boredom? Times certainly wouldn't be dull on board the rescue craft, that was certain.
She just hoped they wouldn't all kill each other before Magnagalia even came into view.