Ritsuko: (sneezes as dust floats to the floor around her) It's good to get a little fresh air.
Bakacal: What can I say? I'm lucky that senioritis (the laziness in high school seniors that sets in after college admissions decisions are made) didn't really hit me until graduation time.
Misaki: Of course, you spent most of the summer angsting about how you had no idea what you wanted to do in life. As you said, "Kaji ga kikanai fune" (a ship with a rudder that doesn't work).
Bakacal: I think I know what I'm going to do now. I will major in a music related field and either go pro or become a teacher. A stint in the military might also be in store. (walks off stage with a satisfied look on his face)
Ritsuko: Bakacal? A soldier? (grows faint)
Misaki: Don't worry. In about ten minutes, he'll walk in her and tell us that he wants to be a lawyer.
Ritsuko: You mean…there are people…who actually WANT…to be lawyers? (faints)
Misaki: (sighs) Bakacal does not own Angelic Layer or anything else except for his own characters. Several characters that appear belong to Motokonobaka and Saint X. If you are a lame brained lawyer who does not understand this, you will be whacked over the head many times with a harisen made from a copy of the Fair Use in Copyright Act. Thank you.
Battle Seven
Something REALLY Wicked This Way Comes
Saturday morning, Kamehameha Memorial Stadium
BANG
SLAM
"We're here!"
She almost knocked the door off its hinges as she entered the room. She was a tall woman, a black haired woman who still had a tendency to act as she did in her teenage years: an almost schizophrenic mass of boundless energy who could beat anyone's arse with a stick or an angel.
Some people never change, and thankfully, Lina Paiya was one of them.
The other two occupants of the room were much quieter than she was. A middle aged Korean man sat on a bench, fiddling with his angel somewhat nervously. He wore a suit but left his tie, which was decorated with small South Korean flags, on the bench.
If he was nervous, the older woman sitting opposite him was in total panic. Her age was evident in her wrinkled face and slightly stooped posture, but her giddiness gave her the impression of a schoolgirl put through a washing machine. The man looked up and smiled.
"Good to see you again, Lina," he said. Lina smiled.
"Same to you, Jyung, Shuuko," she answered. The old woman nodded.
"All that leaves is Mees san," she said, as though she was terrified at the thought. Jyung smiled and patted the angel on his shoulder.
"You got a speech worked out?" he asked Lina. She produced a note card from her bag, along with an angel that looked like a black kitten in a lime green kimono.
"Blimey, is that the time?" Lina turned to the door.
"Jools!" she exclaimed as she stood up and ran to the door. Standing there was Julia Mees, a former British champion who, like Lina, had retired from professional play to open her own school, based in London. Jyung stood and shook Julia's hand. Julia shook her head and looked up.
"Bakacal," she said, "I know you're up there. You can bloody well call me Jools like Motokonobaka does."
SORRY ABOUT THAT. Julia smiled.
"No harm, no foul," she said. "But I AM serious about you calling me Jools."
UNDERSTOOD. LET'S GET ON WITH IT.
"Right," said Jools. "It's really great to see you again, Lina. Is Natalie with you?" Lina shook her head.
"She's going to some event back in New Jersey. Piffle Princess is reopening a store in Trenton."
GET ON WITH IT ALREADY.
"Bloody fanfiction writers," said Jools as she pulled Sequin out of her bag. After adjusting an arm and making sure it was properly oiled, she returned Sequin to her bag. Lina perched Kurokoneko on her shoulder. The angel smiled.
"Nyaaa!" she yawned, stretching her arms and legs.
XXXXXX
"Testing, testing, one, two, three." Tamayo tapped the microphone lightly with her index finger as she nodded. "Good." She cleared her throat.
"Ahem! From Kamehameha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii, KJPN 99.5 FM is proud to bring you live coverage of the opening ceremonies of the Sixth Angelic Layer Global Cup. It's a beautiful day here in Honolulu, and we've got a lot going on, so stayed tuned for live coverage of the Sixth Angelic Layer Global Cup, taking place in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA."
The doors at the end of the field opened. Ritsuko squinted to adjust to the bright light of the Hawaiian morning. She made sure that Hikari was safely perched on her shoulder before marching forward into the blinding light. She heard an orchestral fanfare in the distance.
"And the ceremonies have begun in earnest. There, at the head of the line, I can see the previous champion, Japan's Ritsuko Kobayashi, coming into the stadium. Her angel, light weight speed type Hikari, is on her shoulder, and carrying the Japanese flag with her is her mother, Misaki Kobayashi, better known to some layer enthusiasts by her maiden name of Misaki Suzuhara. The Japanese consistently field a strong team, and I can see several of the best deuses in the world coming out right now. Kaede Saitou and Blanche, Sai Jounouchi and Shirahime, Oujirou Mihara and Wizard, Hatoko Kobayashi and Suzuka, and of course the previous fourth place finisher Naoki Mihara and Yamato."
When her eyes adjusted to the light, Ritsuko opened them. The stadium was packed to the brim with Angelic Layer fans, all shouting and cheering. She smiled and took a look around the stadium. The layer was large, almost like a stage, and was elevated to about ten feet above the field they walked on. At ground level Ritsuko could see several computer banks she assumed were used to simulate the battles. The entire area was surrounded by a large fence, and the stands rose in waves behind it. There was a large amount of flat space even with the massive layer, and Ritsuko guessed that the complex was also used for other events as well. At the fence, around the entire collection, was an oval track made from real gravel. Above the deuses, the domed ceiling had been opened and it let the sunlight of the morning shine down.
The Japanese delegation marched around the stadium once before stopping on the artificial turf in front of the layer. The layer was actually in the middle of a large, oval shaped turf field, and the layer was arranged so that it was in almost the exact middle of the field. On one side, the Japanese delegation stood as the other countries filed into the stadium.
Ritsuko watched with amazement as the national teams filed into the stadium. Tradition dictated that Japan march into the stadium first, followed by the national teams in alphabetical order in the language of the host country, and the host country marching in last. The main problem was whenever the Cup was held in Japan, but this was alliviated by having the flag bearers enter alone at the beginning and having the rest of the team enter after everyone else.
XXXXXX
In the stadium's video security room, Chris watched with mild interest as the Italian delegation marched into the stadium. He had been present at all of the opening ceremonies since the first cup in Tokyo, and he figured that it would be the same routine as usual: a lot of cheering, an unfortunate amount of booing, and witty remarks from the commentators about the delegation's history. He was just tuning out Tamayo's witty comments about the Italian champion's chest size when a coworker tapped him on the shoulder.
"Hey, Chris, got any Kurokonekos?" Chris nodded and took from his pocket a pile of cards that he had organized into a deck. He quickly flipped through the cards and asked casually, "What do you want for it?"
"I have a Blanche and a Shirahime..."
"Got Electra?" The employee shook his head.
"I've got a Hinata..." Chris jumped.
"Kurokoneko for Hinata. Deal?" he asked.
"Deal." Chris removed a Kurokoneko card (one of three) from his deck and the cards changed hands. He stared at the new card.
Legends of the Layer
First Edition
007
Angel: Hinata
Deus: Miharu Rina Hoshikawa (Japan)
Type: Speed (see notes)
Weight: Light (see notes)
Often called the "Gundam Girl" for her angel's themed armaments, Miharu Rina Hoshikawa has consistently established herself as a top contender in the world of Angelic Layer. Despite her narrow defeat to Lina Paiya and Kurokoneko in the 20XX Worlds, Hoshikawa's ability to adapt Hinata to any situation has proven very useful in her battles. Hoshikawa currently teaches robotics at the Mihara Institute of Technology in Tokyo.
He smiled and tucked the card in his deck, placing the deck in his pocket again.
Meanwhile, in a darkened room somewhere in Honolulu, a man stood, watching the same scene that Chris was. He was an old man, almost into his seventies, and smiled as he listened to the aide whispering at his shoulder.
"It's been a long time, Chris," he said softly to no one in particular. "It's been far too long."
"Attention!"
He quickly snapped to attention as a tall woman entered the room. She was passably attractive, and probably would have been quite so if it hadn't been for the scowl on her face. The man eyed her nervously.
"At ease," she told him. Everyone in the room relaxed considerably. The man sighed as he let his stomach sag. She turned to face him.
"How are the preparations progressing, Admiral?" she asked. The man nodded.
"Everything is going according to schedule, Madame Secretary," he answered. "The Angelic Devils are in position and we are certain that, should the operation fail, it will not be tied back to us." The woman frowned.
"That's a relief," she said. The man looked at her in a concerned way.
"Is something the matter?" he asked her.
"Well," she began, "President Hatsuharu is becoming increasingly suspicious. If we act now, it could give her an excuse to investigate the entire War Department. If she discovers the Angel Battalion, we could be executed as traitors." The man smiled.
"There is nothing to worry about," he said. "She has plenty on her plate with the upcoming elections. There has been concern that the Conservatives could win over California and shift the balance of power in Congress. She has her hands full. The earliest she can make her move will be sometime after the election, and by then our plans will be completed. If she tried to move against us then, she would be the one who would be seen as a traitor. Her hands are tied."
"If things go wrong, we could always abandon the Devils."
"Indeed. Shall I give the orders?" The woman nodded.
"Inform Colonel Cisneros that the operation will proceed as planned." The admiral saluted.
"At once, Madame Secretary." He pressed a button on the radio console before him.
"Wilkes calling Cisneros, Wilkes calling Cisneros, come in please."
In the cavernous underbelly of the stadium, the American team sat last in line, itching to go out into the sun. Colonel Cisneros stood up, claiming she needed to relieve herself. She locked herself in a stall.
"Cisneros here. Go ahead, sir."
"Commence operation as planned. Go Zulu Delta Echo Niner."
"Roger wilco. Zulu Delta Echo Niner." She smiled grimly.
Am I really doing the right thing? she thought to herself as she pressed a button on her earpiece.
"Zulu Delta Echo Niner," she said softly. "This is Colonel Cisneros. All wings, report in."
"This is Commander Eckland. Seraphim Wing is ready to go."
"Lieutenant Colonel Sanderson here. Cherubim Wing is A-OK."
"Squadron Leader Jacobs, signing in. Archangels are ready to roll." Cisneros nodded and cleared her throat.
"All wings, commence operations. We have clearance, Zulu Delta Echo Niner. Operation Nightmare is go. I repeat, Operation Nightmare is go."
She pressed another button on her earpiece and stood up. She removed Sandra from her pocket and nodded.
"The time has come," she said in the same way that a general in an anime might regard an upcoming climactic battle.
As the Jamaican delegation took its place on the turf, several of the upper stadium lights suddenly blew out. Literally. As the crowd gasped and ducked away from the falling glass shards, all of the lights went out in detail, and within a few seconds the stadium lights were dark. Chris checked the schematic grid in the video room.
"Stadium lights and luxury box systems are down," he called as the screens went blank one by one. A Piffle Princess employee picked up a phone.
"Phones are dead," he called. Chris shook his head.
"I don't get it," he said. "The reserve generators are supposed to be on active standby. This would immediately prevent any loss of power to the stadium's power grid. A second employee nodded.
"Sensors are down," he told Chris. "We have no idea as to the extent of the damage." Chris wrinkled his brow.
"This is no coincidence," he said finally. "The main and reserve generators all going out? And the sensors as well? That's statistically possible, literally a one in a billion chance." He turned on his walkie talkie.
"Soryu calling Chief, Soryu calling Chief, do you read me? Over." He could hear Icchan on the other end.
"Chief here. What's happened? Over."
"It looks like the electrical systems are down. Everything's down, even the backup generators. Suspect sabotage, over."
"Everything's normal over here. Whoever did this didn't think…" Chris could hear Icchan's voice trail off.
"Chief, what's wrong? Chief!"
"It can't be…"
"What do you-" He held his breath. He heard fumbling on the other end, then Ogata's voice.
"Soryu, it's Cisneros! We have her on video! She's-"
Chris blinked as the line went dead.
Elizabeth: Hey, where's the action?! What happened to the Extra Long New Year's Chapter?! And what's with the evil cliffhanger?!
Bakacal: I'm sorry, Liz, but I had to defer the real big action sequences to the next chapter in order to meet deadline.
Elizabeth: (glares) You call that a deadline? You'd better get your lazy arse to work on the next chapter or you'll face a REAL deadline!
Bakacal: By the way, Miki Hatsuharu, a character from Motokonobaka's Kurokoneko stories, is indeed the President of the United States. But what will become of our heroes? How will Chris react? What is Colonel Cisneros up to? Why is Elizabeth so freaking violent? Tune in next time on "Just Say Naa….." (fades out as Elizabeth pummels Bakacal into low earth orbit.)
Sorry about the short chapter! I really wanted to do a long New Year's chapter, but the usual "school, family, and vacation" trinity just buggered me over. My New Year's resolutions are to update more frequently and to procrastinate less. Until later, Ciao!