Chapter 11: Double Agent

12:45 PM (Japan Time), Saturday March the 3rd…

"… WHA~T? Say that again, you!"

"I made it clear already."

"You can't be serious!"

"I am."

Enzan and the others had reunited in the meeting room; Torolov, standing next to Laika, had a band-aid on the right cheek and some burnt marks, while Enzan was dumbfounded.

"You can't have PURPOSELY returned Suzuki to Golden Star! Are you out of your mind or what!?"

"We did."

"Why? Suzuki was our only thread to Golden Star! Losing her means we're no closer to knowing Golden Star's purposes and goals!"

"Don't worry! We've made a deal with her." Obihiro let out.

"A deal with HER? She was in a coma!"

"Until yesterday, yes."

"But the EEG…"

"The chip implant fooled the EEG readout." Laika let out.

"By all the…! So that's how she happened to be awakened when she hit Torolov with the bomb?" Enzan gasped.

"Correct. However, I didn't tell Torolov. He only knew he was supposed to feign a hit on the head, but I didn't tell him he'd get one for real. His driving skills were necessary to spin the van so that the driver's door was facing the gap in the handrail; he jumped off just as the bomb went off and thus made a successful escape." Laika explained.

"And that gorilla knocking me out was part of your strategy too?"

"Yeah. "Knock out anyone who asks too much"…"

"At least you should've told me." Oda complained.

"I realized there was another insider in the hospital. We had to sound defeated for real for them to believe into it…"

"Do you honestly think they'll believe Torolov died in the blast?"

"Of course not. It was another little payback, because they fooled us with the bomb ploy…" Laika shrugged.

"So! What's the deal with her?" Oda switched topics.

"Aha-hah! That's the meat of the affair, sir!"

"Money? Extortion? Blackmail?"

"Come on. Do you think we'd steep so low?" Laika sighed.

"That's… Of course not!"

"None of that. We just asked for her to pass on information to us and to their superiors."

"Pass info from us to Golden Star?" Oda frowned.

"No. Info from Golden Star to… the PSB." Laika corrected.

"The PSB! But why didn't Chief Sorodo tell me anything?"

"Maybe he'd quit office by the time she was "recruited" into being an insider. They just wanted to make sure they weren't dangerous for the whole of the nation, and Suzuki agreed. She'll send us a copy of the info she collects for the PSB. It's usual for PSB to have civilian "collaborators"."

"How did it go like?" Enzan asked.

"We recorded it, so… Search Man! Begin playback."

A holographic screen formed, displaying Laika and Obihiro stepping into Suzuki's room and sitting down on portable chairs next to the bed.

"Alright. Let's begin."

"Suzuki – san! It's pointless to pretend. I studied the EEG records and I've found a 2 Hertz difference between earlier records and records starting at around 5 PM. The chip implant is not perfect."

She opened her eyes and glanced at the two of them.

"Obviously enough." She sighed.

"We just want to know one thing: is Golden Star dangerous for the nation as whole or not?" Laika asked.

"Funny. The PSB asked me the same thing."

"The PSB!?"

"Oh my. I thought Chief Sorodo would've told you."

"No. I don't think he withdrew the information. It must've happened after he left his office and was getting ready to join the Net Police."

"I'd rather say that they're not. I mean… Apart from Slur and Legato, the other Navis aren't invincible or anything. They have bright and intelligent leaders but in total we're less than 15 persons so…"

"How did you get involved with them?"

"After I finished high school, I began this work because I'd having a course on the topic, and it interested me. I joined the DNN and, one day, about half a year ago I got an email from Vice President Noir. He said he had a proposition for me and suggested to meet the next day in the DNN's station café. I went there, but instead met Kage – kun."

"Kage, huh? Did he say why Noir didn't come?"

"He said there'd been a "last minute complication" but I immediately guessed the man wouldn't show his hide around, and that Kage – kun was his spokesperson. I told him to the get to the point."

"And he did?" Obihiro guessed.

"Yeah. He told me they were interested in having a contact inside of the DNN but he assured me they meant no real harm."

"I guess they were honest about that."

"They just wanted to know if any gossips were scattered around the world of the media. He told me they were trying to contribute to "stability". His choice of word picked me, because most idealists say "peace". However, Golden Star were more realistic because they desired "stability" instead."

"Intriguing… Please keep on."

"I thought about it for some days, but I thought it'd be no big deal so I said yes, and I was invited to see the HQ."

"Where is it?" Laika eagerly asked.

"Do you know the old port authorities and bureaucracy building in the port district which was shut down five years ago? There it is! We had to put in some furniture and made one or two changes but overall it remains largely unchanged. Everyone has their private quarters too."

"Talk about a blind spot, indeed." Obihiro muttered.

"Noir. What does he look like? Age? Height?"

"Age… I'd say around 15 or 16. 170 centimeters… I dunno his face because he always wears a black European monk's robe with a heavy hood and never takes it off. He say it's because he was in a car accident and his face ended up disfigured to the point not even plastic surgery could repair it."

"There must be another reason! Haven't you thought of any?"

"Maybe he did some petty crime or something and had to flee so, as to avoid recognition, he hides his face… No – one can question it since he's the Vice President to begin with… It's not like you'll go to your CO and pull his cap out saying it was a joke, right?" She suggested.

"Of course not. I get the point. The other man. Hades."

"Age: 25 or 26… Height: around 185 cm… He wears like any salaryman plus a grey trench coat… He also uses sunglasses and has a brown hat with a black band yet… His office is largely unlit, and it's hard to look at his face… He's clean shaven and has brownish hair…" She described.

"Apart from the members we know… Is there anyone else?"

"Yes. There are. A secretary to President Hades, a woman on her 30s with an authoritarian look to her… Almost like a schoolteacher… I don't remember her name but she seems to be very efficient! President Hades always tells her to please not overdo it, but she insists she can do any job in a proper manner…" She described.

"I can imagine that." Obihiro muttered.

"Then there's the field instructor, Keitai Denwa…"

"Cell-phone? That's the guy's code-name? Where'd he come from, anyway? JSDF? Marines?" Laika asked.

"No. He was a member of a Yakuza clan, who got bored of the whole deal. He ditched them by leaking info to two opposing clans about a weapons cache. They met there and began to kill each other while he slipped outta their gang. President Hades approached him. He's a blunt man, but he tries to be patient and mannered with everyone. He feels proud of passing his skills to the next gen, he says… On his 30s…"

"I see. What about Kage? What do you know about him?"

"Not much. He's very reserved! According to Zarashe – kun, Noir recruited him in Houston and found his knowledge of those "Bitter Party" guys useful. He tends to be extremely calm and not fond of jokes at all! Threats don't seem to affect him, either. He's good at analyzing a scene and detecting something odd with it. He doesn't always come to the HQ. He comes and goes. I heard he's doing an online course so he needs most of the week to study and such."

"Is Andy powerful in battle?"

"I don't know. They never have Net Battles although it's not forbidden! Maybe they feel like Net Battles is fit for elementary students. I find it odd, because they know it all about the WWW, Gospel, the Dark Four Heavenly Kings, the Darkloids, Nebula and the Cybeasts…"

"I see. What about that Qong? Why is he so dry and unsocial?"

"How do you know about Qong – kun?" She frowned.

"Truth is… Back when I came to visit you with Kendou – san… Do you remember how I tripped on the entrance? I dropped a microphone and transmitter I carried inside of a chewing gum ball! When you stepped outside, you stepped over it and it stuck to the soil of your shoe. That allowed us to hear what happened, and were able to force the snipers to cancel their attack on Chief Sorodo in the park by breaking the sprinklers! We were lucky it started to rain on that same moment too."

"So that's why you knew where to intercept me? Wait a minute! I changed my clothes back then."

"Truth is… We thought you were Ikada – san! Because the signal was far away and we couldn't tell you'd changed clothes until we saw you hitting the floor…"

"I have no grudges over the accident, really. I was trying to escape but they had to brake to avoid hitting that child… I guess that the second attempt was cancelled too?"

"It was. However, your companions thought Kendou – san had told us your location so they tried to scare him into talking! Laika – san here shot them from afar, and forced them to pull out."

"So that's how it was, huh? What do you think, Akemi?"

"It doesn't make much of a difference at this point. Fine for me."

"I've thought of a plot. We'll pretend to flee by splitting into three vans. Two vans will carry seven passengers including someone lying in a stretcher. The third van will carry a fellow serviceman and you in the passenger seat hidden by a cap. They'll think it's a Net Police member and we'll blind their eyes. I'll be following a fake van to make them believe I'm protecting the real one too. I guess they're smart enough to figure it out, so they'll chase the real one. When you hear the driver say that then you'll have to hit them with a blunt object I'll give to you and hold because the van will spin like mad before hitting the handrail and coming to a halt. Then you can join them." Laika exposed.

"You think on advance, don't you? Can't say it's a bad strategy, anyway."

"So… Qong. What's the guy's problem?"

"As far as I've heard, he was a child soldier in some Asian conflict a few years ago… An NGO rescued him and brought him to Japan, where he lived in an orphanage before President Hades recruited him due to his expertise in weaponry. You know how horrible wars are! They stripped away his humanity, and he acts like an automaton. He tolerates Tozukana – san as sniping partner but I think that's because he pretends she isn't there or something. Tozukana – san has an aunt married to a JSDF commander and she was the type that thought women needed to know weaponry to defend from violent types. She's under the same administration as me."

"What about Zarashe?"

"He was Japanese orphan living in Switzerland… Don't know much more, apart that he works for President Hades. He considers him a father-like figure as well."

"And Ikada?"

"I heard she was the daughter of a politician of the current opposition party, but wanted excitement elsewhere… President Hades approached her, because her knowledge of political games was useful. She's the onboard "Ice Queen"… They call her like that because she feels sarcastically cold and acts like a queen…"

"How many Net Navis are there in total? Can you make a list?"

"Akemi! Do you remember?"

"Of course. To begin with, the guys of "Operation: Trident"… Video Man, Burner Man and Needle Man… The first two are responsibility of VP Noir and the third is Mr. Hades'… Slur – sama is supposed to be the representative of Mr. Hades but he says it'd be a fool's way to try to impose orders into her, so he just makes suggestions and allows her to do things as she pleases… Her glare is enough to put even the hot-headed Needle Man into their place."

"What kind of abilities does Slur have?"

"She likes forming cords out of Navis which are very hard to break by mere force! It takes about four or five Flame Battle Chips to burn them and high-power Sword Battle Chips. She can also form swords from her sleeves and is a terrific sword-fighter! Even Legato – sama has to kneel in front of her strength." She described.

"Then we're in trouble." Search Man muttered.

"Yeah. I hate to admit it but…"

"Then we've got Cosmo Man: Hades Department…"

"Cosmo Man! I remember about the guy! He worked for Nebula and was deleted in the final battle against "Nebula Grey"…!" Obihiro recalled.

"Pharaoh Man: Noir Department…"

"Pharaoh Man… I remember that one too! He was an "extremely ancient" Net Navi who guarded a power which turned out to be Rock Man's so-called "Saito Style"…"

"Dark Man: Noir Department…"

"Dark Man! One of the "Dark Four Heavenly Kings" who resurrected Forte into Forte GS…! Isn't that an irony? Someone who contributed to Serenade's demise in that group…" Obihiro argued.

"Noir consulted Slur before rebuilding him and she said it wasn't his intention, and what Forte did was his own thoughts; Forte had already been punished so he saw no trouble rebuilding him with his memories reset to zero. She said it'd be like re-incarnation."

"Who else?" Laika asked.

"Yamato Man: Hades Department… You haven't heard of him but he idolized Serenade. When he heard of Slur – sama, he found us and pledged loyalty to her. He acts like a Sengoku samurai, as if his name wasn't enough of a hint." Akemi described.

"That's all?" Search Man questioned.

"Yeah. That's all as of the present…"

"Say. Why did Akemi go into a coma too?" Obihiro remembered.

"I don't know the total explanation myself. It's because they digitized my DNA string into Akemi while establishing a feedback loop between me and her via the nanomachines and the chip implant. Any serious wound is recreated on the Navi! The Operator does not feel Navi wounds unless it's a very strong pain, in which case they'll feel dizzy and nauseous. Slur came up with that because she believed it was time for an improvement over "Full Synchro"… To make humans and Net Navi become closer to each other… That's what Serenade would've desired and what the great architect of the Network, Hikari Tadashi – hakase, hoped for back in his times." She described.

"An improvement over "Full Synchro"! Did Kage mention Hikari Netto?"

"Lots of times. He admitted having being his classmate without any reserves! He felt proud to have shared class with a "hero" and he gets cocky when you bring the topic out."

"No wonder. Hikari must've influenced the guy."

"Andy also gets into the mood when they ask him about Rock Man too…"

"That's all for the time being. You must be tired, too. Tomorrow is gonna be a busy day. I won't tell anyone else until you've been retrieved. By the way! What did Ikada mean by knocking her knuckles on the speedometer?" Laika suddenly remembered at the very last moment.

"NOC… Non-Official Cover… She was indirectly questioning me if I happened to be a spy… It'd seem she'd smelt something but didn't want to say it aloud, so she came up with that pun… NOC can sound like "knock" too so that's why she made that sound."

"Talk about subtle! Good evening."

"Good evening."

"I hope that this justifies my actions. We've gained an inside source for our profit."

"Alright. We've got some new info but there are still many enigmas pending solution. But I'm not gonna forget that gorilla's sucker punch just because of this." Enzan directed a glare at Torolov.

"Orders are orders." He merely replied.

"Come on, Ijuuin – kun. We're tired and such so let's rest for a bit. Or else Uncle Moran will run out of black coffee to give at us." Oda pulled a pun.

"How lame." Enzan grumbled.

"Lame Man shows up with the 4:44 PM express from Surrey?"

"Why Surrey of all places?" Obihiro groaned.

"Dunno. Ask Uncle Survey."

"That was lame, sir." Laika drily complained.

"Feels no better than the mates back at the base." Torolov whispered to Laika in Russian.

"Hmmm? Did you say something, my chum?" Oda questioned.

"Huh! Nothing, sir. I was just reminding him we have to report to our commander as well, sir." Torolov firmly replied.

"It better be it, it better be it."

Laika glanced at Torolov and he nodded in agreement before he saluted and briskly walked out of the room; Laika grumbled while Search Man rolled his eyes, probably exasperated.

"I apologize. It's the tension, sir. If you will excuse me, sir…"

" better be the last time. I don't like people whispering behind my backs. Don't think I'll tolerate any more "stunts" like those, Laika – kun. I'll talk it with your commander, too."

"Understood, sir. Do as you need to do, sir."

"I'm beaten, too. Let's go have some rest, Blues."

"Roger, Enzan – sama. We must be ready for their next move, sir!"

13:09 PM (Japan Time)…

"… By the way, Kage – kun… I suppose there'll be no consequences for the hospital, right? I mean…"

"Why should there be? They just did their duty. That's all."

"But don't you find it odd that Laika didn't try to stop us, Miquel? That doesn't look like the guy's attitude."

"Whatever. I've something to give them a run for their budget. They'll see it today."

Kage was driving his car and speaking with Zarashe over the walkie-talkie without looking concerned; Suzuki and Akemi were sitting in the rear seats while Andy occupied the front passenger seat.

"Oh? A secret weapon?" Suzuki guessed.

"Correct, Suzuki – san. A secret weapon it is! They'll soon wish they hadn't provoked us! We want to test it on the tough guys firstly…"

Kage slid his right hand's index and middle fingers over the right cheek scar and sneered.

"I foresee headaches and meetings to demand explanations of how we made it through their defenses. Am I right, Andy – kun?"

"Yes, Akemi – san. You are correct." Andy politely replied as he looked over his right shoulder at her.

"Lemme guess! The famed weapon will be used in a real battle? I knew you were bored of enlesss simulations! Right, Miquel?" Zarashe asked over the walkie-talkie.

"I can see their hides filled with wounds and being beaten over and over again by this overwhelming power."

"Something interesting is gonna happen? It was about time…"

"Campaign…" Qong merely announced.

"Ya mean a good brawl." Tozukana laughed.

"I'd rather call it a vain struggle." Lily shrugged.

"Boys will be boys." Ikada giggled.

"So true." Sandra added.

"Who'll go first? Wanna bet?" Zarashe suggested.

"Nothing over 100Z." Kage reminded them.

"71 on Colonel." Tom directly made his bet.

"53 on Search Man." Beta X staked.

"68 on Blues." Lily announced her game.

"84 on Blues." Sandra staked.

"It'd be unfair if I didn't bet too so 45 on Search Man." Andy shrugged.

"I'd say 92 on Blues." Akemi finished.

"So! Three of you believe Blues will go first, two believe on Search Man and one in Colonel… That's to be seen, it's up to Boss." Kage concluded.

"Luck is at stake…" Qong drily warned.

"I'd rather say luck's on our side." Tozukana laughed.

"Guess so." Zarashe shrugged.

"Who knows?" Ikada teased.

"Nobody does." Suzuki improvised.

"Except for Uncle Moran?" Zarashe joked.

There was a prolonged silence and Zarashe seemingly gulped because his joke hadn't had the desired effect.

You'll be the first! Ijuuin! You were eager for a brawl, you'll have more than what you asked for!

I'm eager to see if the mighty Blues has recovered from his slum and I can experience the power of the mighty Muramasa, too!