Fluorine
The court case was a success. How Akaito Shion had managed to defend a case of simultaneous fraud, theft and physical harm was beyond Len. There was no evidence to prove the cross-dresser had anything to do with Galaco's murder, and no proof to actually indicate the necklace was actually stolen: the security camera only pointed at the window, the actual necklace in question 'mysteriously' disappeared, and nothing else was misplaced in the entire mansion. "Are you sure you didn't just drop it out the window?" was the lawyer's suggestion. Needless to say, Hirata's intoxicated state that night did not help.
Furthermore, on top of losing the case, Toshio Hirata was charged with a hefty sum for multiple cases of sexual harassment. Len was surprised at the amount of voluntary female witnesses who claimed to be past victims, all with noticeable injuries to boot. How did Akaito manage to muster up all this evidence in the span of a single night? Were all these women even there that night? Unorthodox tactics were surely involved, yet there was no room for complaint: the crafty lawyer had definitely saved him and his partner in crime this time.
While a furious Hirata stalked off several million poorer, Len and Kaito barely had the time to express their thanks to Akaito before the man had to leave to make preparations for his next case, due to be presented in only a few hours.
"You are my brother, there is nothing to thank me for," were his gallant words. "However, thanks to this case, I have grown even more curious of your partner." He motioned to Len. "Honestly, from full name to birth certificate, I had to fabricate a completely new identity. Len-san honestly exceeds all the limits for fraud…" He eyed the blonde curiously, appearing to inspect him from head to toe. "Do you even have a proper identity? Nii-san could not even give me your surname…" The scrutinizing gaze was causing Len to fidget about uncomfortably.
"Akaito, please stop it-"
"Ah, but it's not like it's any of my business." Akaito closed his eyes and sighed. "I just do what I'm told to do. And so accordingly, I must make preparations for my next case." He walked away with the flair of a charming gentleman, however, turned back his head after only a couple of steps. "By the way, the son of one of my biggest clients expressed his desire to meet you. I guess I've got time to introduce you guys."
Kaito and Len blinked in bewilderment. Who in their right minds would want to meet this pair of now infamous thieves? The son of the head of a massive corporation to boot! Curious, they followed behind the lawyer.
"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Unfortunately, my father is busy with his company, and will be so up until the actual court case, however it was I who expressed my desire to meet with you two. My name is Gakupo Kamui, please take care of me."
Akaito had mysteriously disappeared during the course of their brief exchange, leaving only an awkward emptiness. Kaito was sweating bullets at the sight before him: immaculate appearance, confident posture, dignified speech, and even long silky purple hair…Gakupo Kamui was the very paragon of the elite. Here was a stunning example of a man living the lifestyle neither Len nor Kaito could ever hope to attain in the span of their whole lives. Two completely different worlds, for what reason could they have to ever meet?
That little brother of mine ditched me in the worst possible situation. What should I say? Um, he said his name was Gakupo…Kamui? Right? I guess a proper introduction would be the right place to start…
"Um, nice to meet you. Er, I am Kaito Shion. Um, thank you for taking care of my little brother, Akaito, all these years. Um, I mean, he's the lawyer. Yeah, um…uh-" Kaito was jolted out of his ramblings by a harsh elbow jab, courtesy of Len. His silent glare spoke volumes. "And this is Len, my, um, partner, you could say-OW!" His foot was throbbing. Len's heels were sharp. They did complement his current beet-red face though.
Gakupo Kamui gracefully ignored the awkward exchange between the two thieves. "Kaito-san, Len-san. I am glad to finally be able to meet you." He bowed to both respectively, then lifted Len's hand and placed a kiss on it. The cross-dresser blushed harder. Kaito also turned red.
Ah, even if he is cross-dressing, this is so awkward! When should I tell them? Truly, the ideal time to reveal Len's true gender to anybody had long passed. Even his fake identity for the court case was constructed to maintain the farce.
Well, I doubt we'll ever see him again, so I guess it's alright to keep lying like this…
"This is indeed our first time meeting in person," began Gakupo, "however, I have heard much of you from our lawyer. Therefore I am also quite aware of your…abilities." The pause gave it away. Somehow or other, Akaito had divulged Kaito's information, though it was probably only Kaito's information, as Akaito himself had not met Len until the night before.
But why?
"You appear to be on much closer terms with my brother than I first thought," deduced Kaito.
"That may be true." Gakupo's smile revealed little of his thoughts. "We were colleagues in the past."
"Colleagues?" it was the first time Len had spoken up during the conversation. "Is it still okay for him to work for you as a lawyer then?"
"Not to worry," chuckled the wealthy man before them. "That was all in the past. He really has nothing to do with our company anymore. Though we did once work in the same department"
"What was that?"
"A research lab, and that brings me to my request."
Len was still confused, however Kaito had figured out the gist of it.
"I would never think a rich guy like you would ever need the services of people like us."
Another mysterious smile. "I have my reasons."
"You better not tattle to your dad then."
"My lips are sealed."
Gakupo Kamui was the only son of the head of Kamui Corporations, a multi-million dollar business spanning multiple countries. Its main form of profit was the making and distribution of technology, however in more recent years they have invested in the research and sale of new forms of energy. Decades ago, a small group of researchers from an independent laboratory stumbled upon the existence of "mineral energy". Elements found in the earth were found to contain vast quantities of potential energy, however what limited the use of such energy was the lack of any means to extract it. Kamui Corporation's invention of such an 'Extractor' sparked the recent Technical Revolution, leading to huge leaps in scientific and technological advancement in the last ten or so years, as well as solely securing Kamui Corporations as one of the top ten businesses in the world.
All this was common knowledge to anyone with some degree of education in the twenty-sixth century. However what was known to few was that the inventor of the Extractor was a mere University student at the time, and that man was now sitting in front of Kaito and Len.
"I want you to steal the blueprints for the Extractor. Well, it technically would not be stealing, as it was my invention in the first place…"
To think Gakupo Kamui was such a formidable man. It seemed the people of the elite truly did exist on a completely different level.
"Couldn't you just redraw it?" suggested Len.
"The idea came from my younger self, however the actual plans: materials, components, and measurements, to practically realise such an invention had to be thought up by professionals in the field. I never saw the blueprint until it was complete." Nevertheless it must have been no small feat for one so young.
Kaito did not understand. "But doesn't your father practically own the corporation, and all the labs within it? Why is it so hard to retrieve a blueprint you made?"
A sombre look overcame the man. "The reason is my father. He wishes for me to take over the company, thus I was promoted to the main office. Consequently, he desires to remove me completely from all research-based activities, banning me from the lab altogether to work on more business-oriented tasks." His regal appearance, coupled with his deep sighs, gave the impression of a king who had lost his throne. But to Kaito, it seemed the very opposite.
This was a prince who wanted to throw away his crown.
"However, my passion shall forever lie in research," continued the man. "Research is my life. I belong in that laboratory." He said the words with such conviction there was no room for anybody to doubt him. "Thus I must request this of you, after I have recovered the blueprints," Kaito stood in shock as the man went as far as to prostrate himself before him. "Please, let me work for you!"
"…wait…what?" it was all too much to take in. Kaito felt his head spinning. The overwhelming sense of confusion was like a brick to the face. He had to sit down, close his eyes and think for a while.
"Gakupo-san wants to work for Kaito?" Len was also experiencing bouts of disbelief. To have such a great man working beneath Kaito of all people. It seemed such an unequal deal.
"I wish to continue working as a researcher!" Gakupo kept his head bowed. "However, as long as I continue to work for Kamui Corporations I know this is an impossible feat."
"Please get up Gakupo-san!" cried Len. "This action does not befit someone of your status."
"I will not get up until Kaito-san agrees to employ me," was the man's firm resolution.
Under such a situation Kaito had no choice but to agree. Gakupo thanked him profusely.
"With this," he declared, "we are now equals," his next words shocked the males to their very cores. "And I am now authorised to abandon all ties with Kamui Corporations."
Len and Kaito's objections were all in vain. "I am sure this is the only way," the man repeatedly retorted. "I have further reasons, however I will explain these to you after the present task is completed."
…Oh dear what have we done… To continue with the king analogy, Gakupo Kamui was now a rogue prince, sunk as low as a commoner to achieve a goal no level of wealth would be able to attain.
It was a little known fact that Kamui Corporations had two Tokyo branches. Their head office took up the entire top floor of one of Tokyo's tallest buildings. The company, of course, had also bought out whole buildings in the vicinity, in preparation for further expansion. However, the lesser known laboratory branch was located on the very outskirts of the city, in an almost rural area. A plot of forested land was bought by the company some decades ago, and the area was cleared to make space for a decent sized research facility. Most of the company's biggest trade secrets were located here; it was also the site for new developments in technological innovation. Thus its security from outsiders was essential.
This was also to be the location of Kaito and Len's next heist.
The trip took almost five hours by Gakupo's Mercedes. It was late afternoon upon their arrival. Orange light filtered through the leaves as the males trudged the last leg of their journey on foot on an unmarked path through the forest.
Gakupo led them past ferns and bushes, before suddenly halting. They had reached the clearing, and there before them stood the grey walls of the laboratory, surrounded by a fence of barbed wire. It was a low rectangular building, unassuming and almost unnoticeable in the dim light.
As the last rays of the Sun disappeared behind green hills, Gakupo explained their plan. The man pressed some buttons on his digital watch. The screen flashed, projecting a hologram that floated in the air above the watch. It contained what appeared to be building plans. A network of rooms squarely surrounded a main generator room.
"Wow, that's really cool…" murmured Len, who had never been exposed to such technology before.
"It is a prototype for now," commented Gakupo, "might hit the stores sometime next year."
Kamui Corporation's Tokyo laboratory had very few employees, and all of them were researchers. The housekeeping and general security of the building was the responsibility of a multitude of robots, developed exactly for this purpose. These robots possessed a variety of hidden tools, from mops to electric tasers. They were embedded with the latest AI technology, and were trained to persecute any intruders upon detection.
Each employee was protected by an ID card, which fitted into a clear pocket on their lab coats. By default, robots would attack anybody without such a card, and ignore anybody who did wear one. This was to be the basis of the success of their heist.
"The robots can knock you out in less than a second if they spot you, however, you will be safe as long as you secure one of the ID cards," explained Gakupo, "facial recognition software was not installed in the robots, however, each card contains a unique code that cannot be replicated."
"So we have no choice but to knock out an employee and steal their card." Kaito concluded.
"Correct," agreed Gakupo. "However stealing their coats may prove better in the long run."
"How do we do that?" asked Len.
Gakupo opened the boot of his car, gave everyone a small bag and took a small shotgun out of his own. "With these."
Employees took irregular shifts based on the scope of their work; however the total number of personnel in the building at any one time remained constant. This corresponded with the limited number of lab coats, in order to make it easier for the robots to ensure everyone was present. Once their shift was over, one researcher would place their coat in a special basket, located in a 'safe zone' between the actual lab and a 'waiting area' by the entrance of the building, exempt from the scrutiny of the robots. This is because the exchange of lab coats involved the change in status from employee to intruder, and this would stuff up the robots' system. The basket countered this: after the safety zone door was opened from the lab side, the basket would emit the signal wave of an ID card, for the duration of one minute. During this time, the researcher was to head to the waiting area, take off their coat and place it in the basket. The basket was also within the vicinity of the robots, thus as long as the coat was in the basket, the robots would not detect anything out of the ordinary even if one person was missing.
The same mechanism will activate when the coat is taken out of the basket from the waiting room by the next researcher. They have one minute to get dressed and enter the laboratory. If the coat does not leave the basket in one minute, a security lockdown is activated, and nobody is able to enter, nor exit the building. Higher ups from the main branch are alerted, and intervention takes place. Those employees who were just too slow getting dressed, or were late, are severely punished. Thus time management is strict in the building. Gakupo, being a former worker, had noted down the timetables of his colleagues, thus was able to ambush the two researchers with certainty.
First there was a stake out as the three males concealed themselves in the bushes, lying in wait. Soon, a man appeared from the underbrush, not far to their left. Gakupo did not even hesitate to turn and shoot the man. The shotguns contained drugged darts, enough to keep a grown man unconscious for at least twenty-four hours. The man was down before he even had time to react. Gakupo signaled for his other two companions to hide the body, while he himself strode up to the door.
Shotgun ready, Gakupo swiftly opened the door, located the scientist in the waiting room, and shot him down before he had time to speak. He removed the lab coat from the basket, and, after putting it on, opened the next door.
The purple haired intruder was faced with a single robot. It was small, around the height of Gakupo's knee. The Kamui logo was stamped onto the centre of its dome shaped head, above a digital screen which it used to scan employee ID cards. Two fans protruded from a rectangular body to keep the thing floating soundlessly in the air. The robot turned to look at Gakupo, gears whirred as his card was scanned. Then the robot peacefully continued its patrol down the corridor. Gakupo stealthily crept down the corridor, and stopped before the first room he saw.
He peeked in from the glass window of the door. There was one man in a lab coat sitting at a computer, and one robot silently standing in the corridor. Perfect.
Gakupo opened the door a crack to sneak in the barrel of his gun. He fired one shot, and the man collapsed onto his computer, not even aware of what had happened. Gakupo waltzed into the room, picked up the man and carried him out. The robot did nothing.
Back in the waiting room, Len and Kaito had arrived after hiding the body of the other man. They sat and waited, as they were instructed to do so, until Gakupo returned, placing his coat in the basket. The man was left in the lab corridor, outside the waiting room.
"Len-san, quickly put on that coat, then bring the unconscious man outside in here. Make sure you stay in the lab after that. Len did as he was told. The man's coat was removed and placed in the basket as Len pushed the body into the waiting area while still remaining out in the lab corridor. Gakupo ordered Kaito to hide the body outside elsewhere while he donned the man's coat from the basket and entered the corridor with Len. "Stay in the waiting room when you come back, Kaito-san."
Kaito left the building as Gakupo headed back into the corridor. Len was waiting by the door, nervously eyeing the robot patrol. The lab coat he wore was far too big. It fell to his calves, and he had to roll up the sleeves several times. Nevertheless, the robot ignored him completely.
"Alright, listen up," said Gakupo to Len. "The robot system extends as far as the vents in the ceiling. I am going to hoist you into that one up there. Stay up there in case any other researchers decide to come into the corridor. After Kaito-san and I are done, we will call you back down, okay?" Len wordlessly nodded. "Good girl."
Gakupo had given each of them a small bag of tools that clipped into their belts. Even though Len had changed into a shirt and pants, Gakupo still took him as a girl. Len took out a screwdriver from his bag, then let Gakupo lift him onto his shoulders. He removed the panel from the low ceiling, and then climbed in.
"If anyone spots you, shoot them with the gun," said Gakupo as he walked down the corridor, scouting out rooms.
The purple haired man searched for rooms with only one researcher. As the employees were few, this was not a difficult task. By the time he had dragged another victim into the waiting room, Kaito was already there. The coats were donned and all three men were finally able to enter the laboratory.
"The time is six pm. We have less than twenty-four hours to recover the blue prints and get out of here." Gakupo had also given each of them a special watch containing a copy of the layout of the building, also supposed to be top secret. Past the corridor was a large generator room, which contained the source of the electricity running the lab, as well as the main control room, where all the security cameras were located. Of course, there were few of these, and only placed in the most important places, because in most cases the robots were more than enough. Thus Gakupo could easily trace a path to avoid any of the cameras.
Said path involved skirting around the generator to the back of the lab, where the storage rooms for blueprints was located. The generator room was located at the centre of the lab, surrounded by a network of other rooms. Many of these rooms were also connected to each other. Using this, it was possible to reach the storage room by travelling through the outermost rooms, which were largely private research spaces without the need for cameras.
The first computer room Gakupo had entered was part of one such path. It was now empty, save for a single robot, thanks to Gakupo's prior actions.
"Assuming the building layout has not changed since I was promoted to the head office, travelling this path should eventually lead us to the storage room without any need to encounter any of the main rooms with security cameras," deduced Gakupo. "However from here on there will be no windows, only steel doors that slide open when the ID card is scanned." He gazed at his partners, and gravely said: "If anybody is on the other side of the door when it opens, I need you to shoot them immediately. To be detected would be the end of us, and there is no telling what might happen in this unknown, secluded place."
"We must grab the documents and make our escape as soon as possible," agreed Kaito, "but we must be cautious."
Len said nothing, curiously eyeing the ventilation shaft in the middle of the room.
Gakupo found the steel door to the next room. His ID card was scanned, and the door slid open. The three hastily made their way inside, before the door closed on them silently. They were now in a narrow corridor, about ten metres long. On the other end was another steel door, with the same scanning mechanism. Above the door, on a digital screen, was the number "3".
Three people, thought Kaito, it can tell how many people are in this corridor.
This time Kaito opened the door with his card. It doesn't have to be the same person to open the door on the other side either.
Len noted there was a ventilation shaft in the middle of the corridor too.
Gakupo held his breath and prepared his gun as the doors opened. The room was empty. Only after quickly surveying the area did he lower the gun and breathe a deep sigh of relief.
Len suddenly spoke. "Hey guys, there seems to be a ventilation shaft in the centre of every room." Kaito and Gakupo simultaneously looked up to the low ceiling.
"Yes that seems to be true," remarked Gakupo.
"If I climb into the shaft, I could probably scout out each room for you and alert you of anybody in them."
Kaito's eyes brightened. "That's a great idea!"
Gakupo nodded in agreement. "It keeps her safer too, in case we are spotted. I'll help you up, Len-san."
Once Len was in the vent, Gakupo was able to fix the shaft back in place simply by standing on his toes. The ceiling was that low. The boy then went off to scout, as Kaito and Gakupo entered the next connecting corridor and waited for him.
Upon his return, Len announced that the next two rooms would be empty, however the room after that had two researchers, standing by a large table in the centre room, discussing over some blue prints.
Kaito and Gakupo took note of this and continued on. Just as Len had said, the next room was an empty computer room, with one robot. However this was not a stationary robot. It turned its head towards the door upon their entry, and made its way towards them as they approached the next door.
"Do not be alarmed, ignore it. It will not do anything as long as we have our cards," Gakupo whispered.
The robot tagged behind them, even into the corridor. The screen, however, continued to display the number three.
The robot didn't register as a person, thought Kaito. Maybe there's a heat sensor in this corridor.
The robot continued to follow them into the second room. Beyond the next corridor, according to Len, there were two researchers. Len double checked this and confirmed the two were still there, a male and female researcher.
Gakupo and Kaito stopped to mentally prepare themselves just before the door. However the robot opened the door by itself and continued through. The two researchers turned after sensing the door had opened. The robot floated over to the woman and stopped in front of her. A panel in the centre of its chest opened up, and produced a cup of coffee on a tray. Gakupo and Kaito were completely caught unaware.
"Crap. It could open doors!"
"Quick, Kaito-san. Shoot!"
Gakupo's skillful aim did not fail even under such pressure. The female researcher took a direct dart to the neck. However, Kaito fired multiple times, and failed to even hit once.
"Intruders!" shouted the other researcher, as he pressed a button on the wall.
Immediately, the robot in the room retracted its coffee cup and quickly made a clean sweep of the room. The ID cards of everyone in the room were memorized.
"Quick Kaito-san! Open the door! We need to get out!" shouted Gakupo.
Kaito turned around and tried to scan his card. But nothing happened. "They've locked us in!"
This whole time the researcher who had pressed the button stood stock still. There was also no alarm that sounded. The robot in the room also made no move.
Gakupo swiftly grabbed his shotgun, and knocked out the man by the button.
"Try the other door, Kaito-san! And Len-san! If you can hear me, use the vents to get the blueprints!"
"But what about you? How are you going to escape?"
"It is alright Len-san. Nothing has happened, nobody else knows what has happened. The system is designed this way so all the other researchers can continue working while intruders are dealt with by the robots."
"But-"
"The robot in the room has not moved at all. It is watching us. The doors are also locked. Soon other robots will be arriving to detain the occupants of the room. That will be our chance to get away." Gakupo quickly explained. "Hurry Len-san! Kaito and I will escape outside as soon as possible, but you are the only one capable of getting my blueprints! Please go now!"
"Gakupo-san…"
"If they catch you too, I do not know what I will do. Please go, Len-san!"
"Go Len! Quick!" yelled Kaito as he ran to the other exit to try his card there.
Len had to swallow his anxiety and continue onwards. Shaking, he called out:
"Make sure you get out soon! B-both of you!"
Gakupo and Kaito listened as their youngest companion made his way onward through the shafts.
"At least Len-san will be safe," said Gakupo. "chances are, nobody will know anything of what has transpired until tomorrow, when the drugged researchers wake up."
"He should be long gone by then." Kaito sat down next to the purple haired man. His attempt at opening both exits have failed. "And what about us?"
"The robots should be coming soon," said Gakupo. "They will come in large numbers through both doors, however that also means both doors will be open for an extended period of time. That will be our chance to escape."
"Is it a bad idea to meet up with Len?"
Gakupo sighed."Doing so will only put him in danger. The robots have memorized the unique codes of our cards. If anybody escapes the room without the consent of the robots, they will be hunted."
Kaito supposed it was true when Gakupo had mentioned to be detected was to be the end of them. In that case, to be caught by the robots would be the last thing they wanted.
"What do we do then?"
Gakupo pondered for a few seconds. "All their tools come from the middle section of their body. If we damage that, they cannot harm us." He looked to his bag. "The guns will not work on them, nothing we have seems sturdy enough…"
Gakupo gazed about the room, before finally resting his eyes on the metal table. The blueprints seemed to be for some sort of mechanical invention. There were tools for melting and shaping iron on a bench by the wall.
"Kaito-san,"
"Yeah?"
"Can you flip the table over there?"
"Huh?"
"We are going to melt the legs off that steel table."
Thank you for reading~
Hope it wasn't too wordy...