Chapter 11: Approaching danger
09:39 AM (Japan Time, Thursday December the 15th…
"… So. Enzan – kun. Will you report to us?"
"Yes, sir. I brought Rock Man along since he wished to disclose what happened yesterday."
"Good morning, Commissioner Kifune."
"Good morning. Have a seat."
"Thank you very much."
Both came into the main meeting room in the Net Police HQ.
Misaki, Yuuichirou and Yuriko were present as well.
"I'll try to skip the complicated details and try to give out the general idea about what happened! Death Shadow! A "Darkloid" formed on his own around June! But ended up deleted in an accident of some sort shortly after that! Someone at the Dark Realm found his data and they brought it over to Obihiro! He spent a good deal of days restoring his body and his memory files. He has decided to come up with a plan that'll benefit Bronze Sword and the Dark Realm! It's code-named STS and it's some kind of new weapon."
"I see. Even though he was a "Darkloid", he had no ambition of occupying the real world like Shade Man and the others."
"We also found out what became of Ivan and Sergei! Yamikawa caught their "Cross Fusion" body and somehow rewrote the personalities of them to implant a new one named "Sidier". He seems to be in a high position and only answers to Yamikawa. It's safe to assume that he keeps on having his past abilities." Saito added.
"Death Shadow's own abilities are no joke! The foe drops the atmosphere temperature and causing ice to form! He is fond of dramatic speeches! And has an assassin – like instinct." Enzan explained.
"Saito. What's that mark in your forehead?" Yuuichirou asked.
"No way…" Saito groaned.
He looked at it and spotted the blue Kanji, still there.
He took out the helmet and use a handkerchief to try to wipe it out but it regenerated.
"Damn. Death claims this is his "mark"! All who are marked by it will be killed by him in 5 days or less." Saito growled.
"Goodness!" Yuriko gasped.
"So me, Blues, Netto and Saito are doomed, it could be said."
Enzan rolled his eyes and sighed in defeat.
"The mark seems to be some persistent program which keeps on executing itself the whole time like malware. I tried blocking it off and deleting it, but it's got some copies on my systems." Blues admitted.
"Do we have any hints as to the nature of "STS"…?" Manabe asked.
"Death left for a while and returned with some files which were supposed to serve as basis for the design. They were about some kind of research being conducted by some military in the 70s…" Saito replied.
"It isn't "Spectrum"! That was in the 80s. We have to look for something as basis to build some kind of "weapon" developed on the 70s, but abandoned! Wait. A killer satellite!? No. We already have those!"
"It's very vague. But it's a start, nevertheless. We can expect Yamikawa to turn into our foe given how he's been hiding Obihiro's location all along. He seems to believe all of this is a "show" and that he's in charge of it."
"Shah, shah, shah! That guy's gone nuts." Needle Man sogjed-
"What can you expect from him, anyway?" Yuriko sighed in defeat.
"Sitting idle won't do any good! We need to move. Defenses should be revised, and improved. It's likely that they may target key facilities."
"I'll be going back to the school. Buruusu will come with me. By the way, Enzan… You should take IPC's security into mind as well!"
01:55 AM (Spain Time)…
"… These facilities look good enough for the task I have in mind. But we shall have to redesign the space."
"We need to start working on the initial design and think about how we're gonna handle it."
Obihiro and Death Shadow talked as they examined a large and empty metallic room; Hunter Man walked along them.
The light came from light bulbs on the ceiling.
"Did you read the reference files?"
"They'll be good enough for the time being."
"The "Net Saviors" can't even begin to imagine the storm which is gonna rumble over their heads. We are a bunch of geniuses, ya know."
"We better get to work into deciding how we allocate space and computer power consumption." Obihiro suggested.
"I shall work on the prototype design in the meantime. We shall speak later on." Death announced.
He headed towards the south while Obihiro and Hunter Man headed east and entered a small bedroom with a bed, a chair and a desk.
His laptop stood atop the desk.
"Good. Time to work, Hunter Man."
"Roger!"
Hunter Man returned inside of his Link PET.
Obihiro connected it to the PC and began working with several programs.
"Death is creepy but at least acts rationally. As long as we please him…"
"He has a sense of debt, sir. He will likely cooperate without complains."
"Thankfully enough!"
10:06 AM (Japan Time)…
"… Good news, Yamikawa – sama. The moving is complete. Pre-eliminatory installation and design work is underway."
"Excellent."
Sidier, kneeling in front of the throne, was reporting to Yamikawa.
"Regarding the operation suggested… The arrangements are almost complete. I have placed some pressure on the individuals who are going to take part on it to show them their place. I was even able to find the fourth one, even though it took some effort. They'd put effort into hiding their trails, after all!" He reported next.
"You mean the DVD of Episode 4: A New Hope."
Kagehi joked as she stepped in and stopped behind Sidier.
"Somari – chan. What might I do for thou?" Sidier gulped.
"To begin to… Stop using "sonata"! It sounds too old-fashioned. If you use "kimi" on me, then it's fine enough." She told him.
"Roger."
"Somari – chan. This is serious stuff!" Yamikawa protested.
"It's so serious and stiff that even the Red Sea's waters evaporate from its dryness." She ironized.
"Sheesh. How funny!"
"So? Sidier. Are you ready for the showdown?"
"I don't know yet if there'll be a showdown or not… The point of that is to test someone's psychology…" Sidier admitted.
"Mr. Universe's, you mean to say. I'm a prophetess."
"Well… More or less…" Sidier slowly replied.
"You're still afraid of what awaits ya if ya don't behave? "A – le – le" is eager to test those vocal chords of you."
Sidier stood up and stepped back while hanging his head down.
He put some distance and stopped right before Yamikawa, who'd come down from the throne.
"Yamikawa – sama… What should I do?" Sidier requested.
"Go to your quarters. I'll try to solve this."
Yamikawa sighed in defeat and crossed his arms.
"Roger. Good morning."
"I'd rather say you prefer Sidious to me given that face of yours, Saruba - chan." She teased.
"Man." He sighed.
"I'm a genius!" She giggled.
"Jeez. Why do you always have to ruin my good moods?"
"I'm a safety device to avoid ya getting cocky!"
"I wasn't getting cocky!" He grumbled.
"Ya never know! Ask the Oracle of Delphos!"
"That's a mythological figure!"
"Then the fortune-teller Miyuki – sama~!"
"I don't believe in fortune-telling, unfortunately enough!"
"Then shake and rattle a bloody mary cocktail!"
"Sheesh! We were minors back then! We couldn't touch alcohol! And we weren't interested, anyway!"
"Don't worry! You only need to go al col, "to the cabbage"!"
"Sheesh! Patent it for some parody comic book!"
"Sure! Just like mixing up opio (opium) and apio (celery)!"
"Sheesh! Lovely!"
10:13 AM (Japan Time)…
"…Hullo! Sidier. What's going on?"
"S-Solo! That's… Somari – chan is about to bring out the unspeakable punishment."
"Crap."
Sidier had met Kuroumi when running down the corridor.
"I had to endure that thing three years ago and I still have nightmares about it from time to time! Somari – chan is the reincarnated music teacher we three had back when elementary school in 1981!"
"Yikes! We're in trouble, then?" Sidier nervously asked.
"We aren't just in "trouble"! We're doomed." He whispered back.
"That's bad."
"I'd rather say we need to camp out. Try to not to go to the Bog Temple or she'll claim that she's got authority to have you sing that there and prove that "a warrior must nice a pitchy voice with a slight degree of pre-puberty to it which makes up a nice Molotov cocktail"…" Kuroumi whispered as he quoted it.
"Goodness. Is this a ship sailing without aim?"
"And when Somari – chan spuns the wheel, we all go back to zero and start again."
"I get that feeling, truth to be told. I think I'd go camp at the Fortress Temple. I've already visited the Death Temple and the Bog Temple again! I'm pending it."
"We'll try to see how much power you "Armored Form" grants to you, too. Maybe it'll help you establish a new record, too, and the guys will like it. Guess you'll become a favorite match opponent!"
"I hope so…" Sidier trailed off.
"Get positive, man!"
10:19 AM (Japan Time)…
"A whale! You will transport a whale and everyone will claim it's a whale with wings!
"Very original."
Airstar was unimpressed at Tesla's latest joke, and laughed aloud.
Gauss, who was cleansing close by, gulped.
"Charlie…" Gyro Man muttered.
"What a torture." Magnet Man grimly muttered.
"Tesla! I don't think whales are much of a refined meal…"
"And there's already a Navi named Whale Man who can walk on his two legs in case ya didn't know."
"What! A whale with legs…? Must be the Navi of a mad genetic scientist!"
"Nope. As far as I know, his Operator is not fond of genetics. And your jokes are very dry, anyway."
"They dry you up and that's why you don't laugh, Charlie. But I'm sure my "reality transformation field" will grant me victory over those savages who make fun of a lady who isn't even 30 yet!" Tesla laughed.
"Jeez. It's "reality distortion field"… You turn reality around as much as you want like you were part of The Matrix."
"I dunno what that is! Must be another of your cheap series. I am a genius! No – one else could make such a perfect strategy to break Magnet Man and Father out of the Net Prison!" She laughed.
"Ya were lucky! Only Netto was there. Had Enzan been there, he'd stayed behind and stopped Flash Man from getting to the vault. You obviously timed it well enough." He dully told her.
"Tremble, world! The genius lady is coming!"
"Sheesh! Save me the megalomania, miss!"
10:49 AM (Japan Time)…
"… Damn. I don't understand it! How do you read this stupid thing? My tomahawk would do us fine!"
"No… Any civilized person can read this, Dingo! I'm not your personal GPS device! Get one yourself!"
"What's a GPS device?"
"Jeez. You still act like you live in the village! This is the metropolis!"
Dingo had gotten lost again and Tomahawk Man was running out of patience.
Dingo was turning a map around while looking like he didn't understand a single bit of its indications to begin with.
"I bother to get it on English for ya and with the symbol legend and that's how ya thank me… You're an unthankful guy, Dingo!"
"Totem – sama abandoned me because I don't believe on his guidance!"
"No Totem – sama and nothing! You're the one to blame~!"
"Damn!" Dingo cursed.
"A GPS is a machine that tells you the route to do from the start to the end and chants each step aloud! Get one and you'll know which the shortest road is and how much time you need!" Tomahawk Man insisted.
"Jeez. I've been degraded. Now I need a machine to tell me the whole trip like I was a 5 – year – old." Dingo grumbled.
"Jeez! Understand it already! Or else quit the restaurant and go back to the village to play "childhood love" with Shanka! Which one will you choose, Dingo?" Tomahawk Man insisted.
"No way! I'm not gonna quit!" Dingo shot back.
"Then get a GPS!" Tomahawk Man yelled.
"Damn them all!"
11:08 AM (Japan Time)…
"… I'm back, otouto."
"How'd it go?"
"Bad."
"Why?"
"Look at my forehead."
"Not that thing again…"
"And me too."
"What a jerk!"
Rock Man and Blues made it to the classroom and Rock Man reported to Netto, signaling the Kanji, and Netto groaned.
"What's wrong? Desu?" Ice Man asked.
"A bad guy wrote this and I can't erase it." He fumed.
"That sums it up." Blues fumed.
"What a frightening thing!" Glyde gasped.
"They must hate you, I guess." Roll sighed.
"I don't think so! They believe they're the Grim Reaper."
"Guts, guts! It looks bad, de guts."
"That's another excuse to get VIP treatment?" Dekao accused.
"Ooyama – kun!"
"Yikes! Sensei!"
"Do you think they'd make that up? Look at his companion: I know he's Blues, winner of the N1 Grand Prix. He's serious. Also, I'll insist again but they did the homework and exams like anyone else!"
"But…"
"No "buts"! Proof! The world works by proof! You can't say things at random without proof of that! Electricity was invented after they found proof that it was possible to generate it and store it!" The teacher scolded.
"Man."
"It'd seem you don't learn your lessons! I'll speak with your parents because you're really lacking when it comes to grades."
"Jeez."
"Get it?"
"Yes, yes! Sheesh!"
"Is there a possibility that that guy will come fight us, too?" Meiru asked.
"To be honest… There is. We dunno how much of a battle maniac the guy is or if it's the type to drag others into the fight!"
"Lovely!"
"Sheesh! I'll become a top class chef!" Dekao grumbled.
"Then stop day-dreaming and acting like a jealous man!"
"Yikes! Sensei! When did you…!?"
"It's like the teacher says, Dekao – kun. Get serious!" Meiru sighed.
"And don't come at me with tropes to justify things!"
"R-roger, sir… I will not…" Dekao gulped.
"You better not! Also! Ayanokouji – san! Don't make fun of others!"
"YIKES! R-roger, sir!" She gulped.
"Don't worry, sir. I'll keep an eye on her!" Meiru sighed.
"Remember that this is middle school! Show growth!"
"Sheesh. I prefer a Virus battle to this endless loop!" Netto sighed.
"Who wouldn't? Sheesh!"
