A/N: I know it may seem like kind of much, throwing in Tama and her matters here. But she is relevant, in her own way, to events in this story.
Chapter Nine - Tamanegi's Tale
"Where to start..." Tama began looking up at the sky. "I guess... why I was on Earth would be a start." she said at last. "I am... was... whatever, a member of the Resistance. We'd gotten word that the Empire had been developing something called the Blood Moon. It was supposed to be some kind of super weapon or something. Anyway, Jagaimo and I decided to investigate the lab where it was being developed on Earth."
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"Tama, I want you to stay back." Jagaimo said. He was a large man, nearly seven foot tall, with wild red hair and piercing black eyes. The pale moonlight glinted off his white and blue trimmed armor with the brown abdomen guard and shoulder straps. His blue body suit looked almost black in the faint light. "If the reports are accurate, and the Trio really is here, it's too dangerous for you."
Tama was crouched down beside the shuttle the two of them had just arrived in adjusting her boots. Like the large Jagaimo she wore a blue body suit with white and blue armor and brown shoulder straps. Her head snapped up, her long black hair falling down over her shoulders. "I'm not staying behind. I'm not a child anymore, and I'm not a weakling either."
"You're still no match for Nasu, let alone Kybabetsu or Kabocha." Jagaimo said sternly. "You may be the fifth strongest of us but you can't fight them. You wouldn't last." Seeing the look in her eyes he rested a hand on her shoulder. "Look, I know how you feel. Corna and Zuka were friends of mine, too. I understand wanting to pay them back for that but you have to understand they wouldn't want you throwing away your life like that. And... I don't want to lose one of the few friends I have left."
"Jagaimo... be careful, ok?"
"You know me."
"That's why I'm worried."
The large man grinned and then hurried off into the darkness. They'd managed to land undetected in one of the unused areas of the lab. Some sections had fallen into disuse due to one problem or another. The Empire never put enough funding into anything to maintain it at full capacity. In this case the lack of funding to maintain a landing port and a containment area had shut down a few square miles of the compound years ago. It made the perfect entry point for them though. Empty even of security.
"The 'Emperor' is getting too arrogant for his own good." Tama said softly. She was about to settle down when she heard a sound from above her and looked up activating the green scouter on her face. It picked up three powers instantly but they wouldn't be any threat to her, the highest one was only five hundred. "Ants." she muttered listening in to what was going on. This part was supposed to be abandoned.
"Are you sure this is where they said to meet them?" a female voice asked.
"Yes, I'm sure!" a guy hissed back. "Look, I told you, you didn't have to come along."
"And let you do this by yourself? Do I look stupid to you, Onyx?" the girl asked.
"Jade's got a point." another girl said. "This is too delicate to leave to you."
"Quiet Ruby." Onyx growled. "I can handle this just fine on my own. Pyrite wouldn't have given it to me otherwise."
"Pyrite's a fool." Jade said. "So, who are we supposed to be meeting and how exactly are we supposed to pull this off?"
"We're not supposed to meet anyone." Onyx said hotly. "I'm supposed to be meeting a guy named Vent. He's got the access codes to the lab self-destruct."
"Shit. I can't believe we're doing this." Ruby said starting to pace. "What if someone finds out it was us?"
"No one asked you to come." Onyx growled again. "Anyway, no one will find out. We'll have exactly thirty minutes to get to our escape pods just like everyone else. Well, you will."
"Us? What about you?" asked Jade.
"I'm supposed to take that prototype pod in the Second A Level labs. I don't know what's so special about it but Vent said it's important."
"Do you go blabbing about top secret matters to everyone?" a smooth and slightly condescending voice asked. Tama blinked as she heard the man walk across the floor above her but her scouter wasn't picking up anyone else. She didn't know of anyone that could supress their power completely to nothing...
"Oh, Mr. Vent." Onyx said turning. "Um, no sir... but these two are with me anyway so..."
"Very well. Here. These are the codes for the self-destruct. You'll only have a period of 50 seconds to input the code. If you take longer than that it'll be rejected."
"But... it's 150 characters long!" Jade cried looking at it.
"I know. You're forgetting, it's normally entered by the lab Drones. They can type much faster than a person. You'll just have to be quick." With that the four of them split up leaving Tama down where she was alone.
"Oh man... they're going to blow up the lab?" she whispered in shock. "I've got to go find Jagaimo and warn him." She climbed to her feet and hurried off down the hall. "I wonder who that Vent guy is and who he works for though... they're obviously working against the Empire but they're not part of the resistance... Jagaimo and I are the only ones here and we've never managed to get an operative into a position here either..."
As she was about to round a corner she spied a partly opened door across the hall. Obviously an old storage area for spare armors and such. She could make out scouters, body suits, and armors lining the walls. With a grin she moved across the hall and into the room closing the door behind her. A few moments later she emerged into the hall again in new clothes. She still had on white boots and gloves but now she wore a grey body suit with a red trimmed black armor. The shoulders and stomach area were purple. Her green scouter had also been replaced with a red one to complete the look.
"Perfect. Now I look like a high level officer. All that's left..." she relaxed and let her power rise slowly. She didn't push it to her max, that would be far too much, but she leveled it off at a fairly high level that she figured should match with her new outfit. "There we go. Now to find Jagaimo..." reaching up she activated the scouter. She'd already loaded Jagaimo's tracking signal into it from her own scouter so it only took a moment to find him.
Despite her disguise she still made sure to try and avoid heavily populated areas but she still couldn't help but smile to herself every time she passed by some low level soldier that watched her nervously as she passed. Finally she came to a stop. Jagaimo had already managed to get passed the Second A Level lab security. Tama knew that even her disguise wouldn't get her passed the guards, they'd want to see her Security Clearance Badge. She didn't have one of those. "So... how'd Jagaimo get through...?" she wondered.
She turned and looked back as she heard a loud conversation coming from behind her. A second later five people in lab coats rounded the corner. Three guys with blue skin and white hair, one with red skin and white hair, and a girl with orange skin and green hair. As soon as the girl saw her, the worried expression on her face changed to one of relief. "Thank the Kais." she sighed running over to a very startled Tama. "I'm Proto." she said with a small bow. "I thank-you for taking time out of your busy schedule to help us out down here."
"Help with what?"
Proto blinked. "Didn't Shidra send you to help us?"
"I wasn't told what was going on." Tama said, hoping they would believe her and that this would lead her passed the entry to the labs without the need of a card. As she spoke she also racked her brain for what she knew of how the higher ups acted. She'd need to play the part perfectly or she'd be discovered.
Proto nodded. "Ah, ok. Well, it's simple really. You see, one of our mutant specimens is loose. It's not overly powerful for someone of your level. We just need you to subdue the thing for us."
"A mutant?" she asked scrunching up her face. She'd heard of them, variations in the normal genetic structure of various alien races. Some were actually hybrids but others were actual mutations. Some were the results of cosmic radiation due to pregnant mothers traveling in space, others were due to planetary over-radiation and pollution, others were nature's natural progression, and some were entirely unexplained. She didn't really like the idea of anything being experimented on, even if the only mutant she'd ever met had totally grossed her out.
Fortunately for Tama, the memory of that mutant resulted in a disgusted look on her face, one that apparently Proto had anticipated. "I know you don't care for them, but we really need this one alive. It's a promising experiment."
"Fine, fine." Tama said shaking her head. She reached her hand down to where she knew personnel normally carried their clearance cards. "Damn, the clasp must have broken again." she nearly growled, hoping she wasn't laying it on too thick.
"Your security card is missing?" Proto asked.
"Third time this month the locking clasp has come lose or busted off... now I have to track the damn thing down again... someone is going to hear about this. I'll be back to help you later if I have the time." Tama made to leave but Proto's voice stopped her.
"It would be no trouble to get you passed the security post." she said, quite hasitly at that. "We really need this mutant dealt with sooner rather than later. It's got enough power to break free of the Containment Sector. If it gets loose the entire facility could be comprimised... it would be a major problem. The only thing good about it is I wouldn't be around to take the fall..."
Tama recognized instantly what the woman was implying and couldn't help but smirk. For a scientist she had guts. "But me, being a high level officer, one this thing couldn't even scratch, would be. And since I have the opportunity to do something about it now passing on such a chance and allowing the destruction of this facility..."
Proto saw Tama's smirk and bowed her head instantly. "Forgive me. I merely wished to impress upon you the urgency of the matter."
"I don't intend to be killed for one of your foul-ups." Tama said turning, clasping her hands behind her back in a stance she'd often seen her mentor use. One that always seemed to exude control and power. It obviously had the same effect for her on these five scientists as they each pulled back a step without even realizing it. "I also don't intend to get in any kind of trouble over your problems... though I find it... interesting, that you can get me in without my card."
Proto fidgeted. "I... umm..." she turned her eyes down to the floor suddenly realizing the situation she'd put herself in. Well, more than herself. "I don't want him to get into trouble ma'am..."
"Him, is it?" Tama asked smiling again, once more understanding. She couldn't believe her luck! This just might work after all. "Aren't relationships between civilian and military personnel forbidden?"
"I..." Proto stiffened up.
"Nevermind that for now. Let's just get this over with. I want to get out of here."
"Ye-yes ma'am." Proto said nodding quickly and then the five of them hurried off with Tama following. A moment later they reached the guard post and Tama noticed the one guard, a pure white skinned and very short guy with a bald head and a beak for a mouth, smiled as soon as he saw Proto. The scientist jerked her head back ever so slightly and the guard, in light blue and pink armor marking him as a Fifth Class, instantly went stiff and robotic.
"Welcome back Proto, Alphia, Medo, Beeta, Verion." he said nodding to each of them. "Ma'am." he said nodding toward Tama. "I... I need to see your card, procedure you know."
"Her clasp broke." Proto said. "Her card is laying around in the halls somewhere."
"Ah... well that, that can be a problem... I can't... can't let you through without it I'm afraid."
"Eagle, can't you make an exception?" Proto asked. "We really need her aid down in the labs... Neanderthan's loose you know."
"Yeah, I heard about that... Still..." He stood there in thought for a moment and then nodded. "I know. I'll need to take your name down, ma'am. When my shift ends in three hours I'll report the situation to the commander and he'll most likely wish to speak with you about the matter."
"Don't waste the time." Tama said waving. "I'll speak with him as soon as I leave, it's on the way to where I need to be anyway."
"Ah, working in the Prison District then? Well, you shouldn't have any problems dealing with Neanderthan then. Still, I'll need your name."
Tama paused for a second. Lie or not? That was the question. It only took a moment for her to realize she'd not be able to come up with a fake name on the spot and that since she was new to field work no one would recognize her name anyway. Well, not beyond it's implications at least. "Tamanegi." she replied simply.
All five scientists and the three guards stiffened and froze for a second. Despite her appearance none of them had assumed her to be a Sai-jin. The lack of the furry brown 'belt' around her waist had instantly dismissed the idea from their minds. "And I know I have no tail." she added with a little edge.
Eagle swallowed and pushed the lock release button. "Go... go right ahead through." he stammered. That was one thing that made life easier now and then. There was a general fear of Sai-jin's in the universe but those Sai-jin's that lacked tails and still fought were feared far more. They were rare, at least in the ranks of the Empire, but they were feared beyond almost all else. A Sai-jin without a tail was often more violent and much quicker to kill than one with a tail. At least, of those that clung to their warrior nature. The rest just seemingly faded away into the darkness never to be heard of again.
Tama watched as each of the scientists passed through the doorway, the scanner in the frame instantly reading their powers as they passed. 8, 12, 3, 7, and 9. Not a very impressive collection. But then, they were only civilians, not warriors. Tama made sure her power was stable and at a good level and then passed through as well. There was a whine and hiss from the machine as it crunched through her power and then displayed it on the small screen. 1,336,971. The reading drew gasps from all those present and a mumbled 'I thought officers of that level were stronger' from one of the guards.
Tama turned her head and locked her eyes on the guard who began to shake realizing his comment had been heard. Being able to raise or lower a power level wasn't an ability that was rampant or well known within the Empire. Using that line would only draw attention to herself. And so she tried the only thing she could think of. "You try working for fifty hours straight and see how well you're still functioning." she practically snapped.
"S-sorry ma'am." he stammered.
With a smile at her acting skills that they took as a smile at how afraid he was, she followed the five scientists down the halls. She'd need to deal with this 'Neanderthan' first, before she could do anything else. Just ditching the five scientists would probably raise alarms in a matter of moments and she didn't want to hurt them. Her scouter still had a lock on Jagaimo's tracker as she adjusted the power scanners to try and find this Neanderthan. However, with the number of wildly different powers in the area it was impossible to pinpoint which one it was she was heading for.
A few minutes later they came to a stop outside a set of large double doors made of Tyrinon, one of the strongest metals in the universe. "Neanderthan's beyond here." Proto said moving over to the control panel. "He's had free roam of the entire section since he broke free this morning. By now he's probably the only one left alive."
Tama checked her scouter again and found only one power beyond the doors. 352,316. "So, that's it then?" she asked.
"Yes. He shouldn't be a problem for you."
"Anything I should be aware of?"
"If you mean poisons and such, no. He's all brute force. Though... now that you metnion it, I almost forgot he can regenerate. It'll be a little tricky but if you can hit him hard enough you'll knock him out without killing him. It'll take more force than for an average person though."
"Right, right." Tama said as the doors opened. "And to get back out?" she asked.
"Well, we'll be here but you may be elsewhere in the area. Once he's restrained just find an exit and blast the doors open. We can fix them later, I'm sure the rest of the place is already in worse shape."
"Right." And with that she stepped into the hall and the door closed behind her. As she went to move down the hall, Jagaimo's tracker signal crossed back onto the screen moving toward Neanderthan. "What the? Damn, I should have copied the layout schematics off of my other scouter... wait, this one probably has network access..." With a few button presses she had the schematics of the area up on the scouter's holo-overlay. "Jagaimo's moving through his area a level down and Neanderthan's a level up... Jagaimo must have noticed how empty the area was and decided to cut through here. He'll need to head up to get to the lab where the Blood Moon project is, though..."
Tama smiled. "I can catch up to him no problem." Still smiling she took off at a run through the halls and around the corners. As she rounded another one she saw a set of elevators at the end of the hall and made for those. The doors were already open to the empty shaft. It looked like they'd been knocked in. Reaching the shaft Tama shot up to the next level and blasted open the doors there. "He's... one hundred feet that way..." Tama said, turning.
As she did, the wall exploded outward and a large... thing... emerged into the hall. It was about ten feet tall despite the fact it was hunched over walking like an ape. Its eyebrows hung out over its eyes and it was almost completely covered in hair. Only the bottom of its feet, the palms of its hands, its chest, and its face were hair free. "What the hell is that!?" she cried wide eyed. "That has to be Neanderthan... but what is it a mutation of?" she wondered.
Her cry caught the mutant's attention and it turned toward her. Its eyes narrowed and it growled. Suddenly its mouth opened and a blast of red energy surged toward her. Tama ducked at the last second and the blast shot down the hall and slammed into the far wall. As she stood up, she pushed off with her feet and surged toward it faster than the thing could see. There was a crack as she smashed her knee into its face and it fell over backwards and stopped moving. She could sense it was still alive but it was obviously unconcious.
"There, now that that's done off to find Jagai..."
"Tama!?"
She turned and saw Jagaimo emerge from the same elevator shaft she'd just come from. "There you are. Look, we have to go, now." she said turning and walking toward him. "I overheard some people on the floor above our ship. They're going to activate the base self-destruct."
"What? Who are they? And what's that thing behind you?"
"They're someone named Mr. Vent and Jade, Ruby, and Onyx and they mentioned someone named Pyrite." Tama said counting on her fingers making sure she got everyone. "And that thing would be Neanderthan, a mutant, and the reason this place is so empty and battered. Really, Jagaimo, you need to do better recon." she said grinning.
"Yeah, yeah, I stay back in the shadows. Out of sight, out of mind." he said. "You obviously took the 'hide in plain sight' approach?"
"Like?" she asked spinning, modeling her new look. "We'll need to get to the lab with the Blood Moon stuff fast. Once the self-destruct is armed we'll only have 30 minutes to get away. That's plenty of time for them to evacuate the thing so we'll still need to nab it or destroy it."
"Right." Jagaimo said with a nod. "It's only five floors up. I only stopped here to see who was still left." Tama nodded as well and the two of them moved back to the shaft and shot up five floors. The doors there were already opened and they landed into the hall. Just as their feet touched down the lights in the room went red and a siren started blaring.
"Attention all personnel. The self-destruct has been activated." a mechanical female voice chimed. "It is recommended that you evacuate now. This facility will be destroyed in 29 minutes and 44 seconds. Attention all personnel. The self-destruct has been..."
"Looks like time's up." Jagaimo said. "Time to cut the sneaky crap and put on the pressure!"