Chapter 13: Holmes wannabe
10:20 AM (Japan Time), Sunday March the 4th…
"… Alright, Hikari. Just what did you tell Kage?"
"About what?"
"About your "adventures" and all."
"The basic outline! That's all."
"Just the basic outline?"
"Come on! I'm sure he could've researched it on his own! However, he knew better not to bring up something I wanted to bury."
"Ijuuin – kun. Don't be so hostile. It's not like he's to blame."
"Huh! I am sorry, sir. You're right, sir."
Enzan was discussing with Netto in a Science Labs meeting; Obihiro, Laika, Oda and Yuuichirou were also taking part; Enzan had started in an aggressive manner, to Netto's rising annoyance until Yuuichirou cut him.
"Dad! Will you tell me what's going on? Am I guilty of something and this is a court of inquiry or what?" Netto exasperatedly asked.
"No, no. You're not to blame for anything, Netto. It's just that these last two days have been stressing. Yesterday evening was brutal. You see… Andy showed up to challenge Blues, Search Man and Colonel in a row using a new weapon developed by Golden Star…" Yuuichirou began.
"A new weapon? I thought they weren't violent?"
"A new transformation… Ryuusei Form. Its power is terrific! It robs electricity from the Cyber World Andy is in to form a cocoon immune to targeting systems. Then, it explodes and Andy comes out, transformed! Wielding such power than the three of us fell before it in less than 55 seconds without having a chance to strike back at him. This form also brings a lot of stress to Kage's body and tires him out quickly."
"By all the…" Rock Man gasped.
"I don't want to feel that twice." Blues grimly muttered.
"Same for me…" Search Man admitted.
"B-but how they could make such a weapon or program?"
"No big mystery! Slur helped create it. Yet the reason we called you over is that Andy claimed to be a sword delivering vengeance and killing ghosts of the past… You guys' past."
"So that's why you asked what I'd told him? He wasn't the kind of person to go to such ends! He was a nice guy and I'm sure everyone who'd met him the last course would agree with me." Netto argued back.
"Don't you think that he changed after his runaway from Chicago in the summer?" Rock Man suggested.
"Speaking of which… His so-famous uncle has gone off the radar and into unknown whereabouts. No – one seems to know where he is or where he's gone to. There is a search request for Kage and Andy and a reward is offered. We tried contacting the number but we were routed to the local police who said they didn't have time for crazy stories; if there was no register of Kage coming out of the country then he was still there and end of the tale. Very blunt, really." Laika exposed.
"Maybe the uncle thought Miquel had leaked something regarding his conspiracies and all and thus fled to save his hide?" Netto suggested.
"Could be, too." Laika admitted.
"Alright, Hikari. Do you have any grudges with any of us regarding what happened with your "powers" time ago? Did you tell that to Kage or is he imaging things?" Enzan asked.
"He's gotta be over-reacting. I never said anything about a grudge and I've buried all of that. I'm more concerned about my marks, homework, exams and all! I've got no time to day-dream anymore. I'm but a normal middle school student by now. You can ask the school, they'll tell you the same."
"That's also why he asked to quit the Net Police, remember, Ijuuin – kun? He wanted to go back to a normal life." Oda added.
"You're right, Superintendent, sir. That means that, as I imagined, Kage is over-reacting. He must've researched deeper into you and maybe got the idea that you'd been bullied or punished for having that power instead of using it for others' sake."
"Which we did." Netto reminded him.
"Of course! No – one questions that."
"I guess we should be saying "sorry" for that of Rock Man DS back then because it was a gross mistake. The guy brought it up reminding us that Search Man is designed for analyzing to begin with and there's a huge difference between black and white." Laika admitted.
"Don't mind it! As I said before, that whole stuff is as good as buried. Dead. The present is what matters: there's no time to mourn the past."
"It was a trap! No – one's perfect. We all fall into them from time to time after all, don't we?" Rock Man shrugged as well.
"Alright. Matter settled." Laika concluded.
"So… What else do we know about Golden Star?"
"Pharaoh Man, Cosmo Man and Dark Man are there." Enzan calmly listed out as if waiting to see his reaction.
"WHAT?" Netto actually stood up and leant on the table's edge.
"But they were deleted!" Rock Man argued.
"Who said it was impossible to rebuild a Navi?"
"Oh true! Dark Man and the others did that with Forte!"
"It'd seem that these re-buildings are prepared with reset memory files. They don't know anything of what they did before. To them is like they'd always worked for Golden Star." Enzan added.
"Man! What a fright! I've got no problem with Pharaoh Man. Cosmo Man merged with "Nebula Grey" still creeps me out from time to time… Dark Man was no joke either."
"How did you know that? Do you know anything about the three incidents which happened yesterday?" Rock Man asked.
"We secured the cooperation of a member who is already reporting to the PSB, and we get a copy of the reports. Golden Star staged the incidents. They were part of a strategy to rescue one of their members, which we'd caught, from the Akihara Central Hospital. Superintendent Oda, do you think he can be allowed to read the report we compiled?" Enzan summed up before asking Oda.
"I see no problem. Remember, though, that it's classified! You can't tell your friends or else I'd get into trouble." Oda warned.
"A-alright…"
"… Enzan – sama, mail, sir… The informer, sir…"
"Excellent! What do they say?"
"Golden Star gained a new Operator & Navi duo who will be working for Hades… Joel Agoras and Victor… Attached photos…"
Everyone looked at the photos; Agoras was a young man who appealed to be close to 20 years of age and around a meter and eighty tall.
His hair's color was bright brown, and it was rather messy, forming flocks there and there.
Reading glasses reflecting the light hid his eyes.
His choice of clothing was a white shirt with a collar having four buttons on it plus a teal brown coat over it, which was open in the middle: he finished the set with grey wool pants and simplistic brown shoes.
"He's somewhat out-fashioned, ain't he?" Enzan sarcastically commented as if to shatter the ice.
"Uncle Merton's fashion I'd bet."
"Oh come on." Obihiro moaned.
"What about the Navi?"
"Yes, sir. Switching photos… Here it is, sir."
Victor was a Navi with a rather curious design; he was about his Operator's height.
His helmet's surface was covered in a grid of brown tiles separated by black rows and columns; a bright yellow jewel was set on the center of the forehead; the ear-pads had his initial, the Alphabet "V" letter colored golden, drawn over them.
Blue transparent shades protected his eyes, colored brown.
His main body had that same pattern printed over it and his chest emblem's edge was colored red, green and blue in different percentages while the golden "V" was set against a white background.
His shoulders had eight-pointed stars drawn over them colored red, green and blue at random; his arms also had the grid pattern printed over their skin; the forearms were navy blue, with dusty brown bands circling around their length.
The legs kept on using the grid pattern over it and the boots had the Alphabet initials "RGB" with each letter printed on their corresponding color, set over them.
"That brown grid… It remembers me of something." Laika admitted.
"Oh, I see. Sherlock Holmes' tweed coat…" Yuuichirou realized.
"No wonder. Maybe this guy is supposed to be a detective on his own then he put a reference to Holmes in his Navi's design." Enzan muttered.
"Cool…" Netto whistled in surprise.
"I guess they will act as information gatherers. Unless they pretend to be like Kindaichi…" Obihiro muttered.
"As long as they don't have new weapons then it shouldn't be a problem to stand up to them…" Blues muttered.
"Speaking of secrets… Did you figure out who are the big fishes in the gang or not?" Netto asked.
"We know their aliases. That doesn't help much, because both hide their faces."
"Feels like a spy movie…" Netto trailed off.
"I know. They're not going to make it easy."
"Don't you think the insider would be in danger if they were found out by them…?" Rock Man asked.
"No. They've known for a while but they seem to find the deal beneficial to them to begin with."
"Suzuki Martha – san, DNN staff… Net Navi: Akemi… What! They organized the three incidents just to flood the hospital with patients and sneak in bombs! However, the bombs were meant to be deactivated yet their tracer gave away her room when you all gathered there, because you thought they'd rescued her given a video transmitted over the TV…" Netto muttered as he flipped through the report and was surprised.
"Yeah. They can get subtle when they want to. We guess that Andy's had enough with beating us and won't come for more, fortunately enough! However… New info suggests there's something secret being prepared which should be ready by May or June."
"That's about two to three months from now…"
"We've got no hints of what it is or the scale of it. That's all and we're sorry for the earlier harsh behavior… You're not to blame for anything to begin with."
"Fine. I'm going back: I've gotta finish a report! Bye."
"And beware of Uncle Moran's icy candies"
Oda broke into hysterical laugh and began to bang the desk as if wanting to discharge his humor; everyone rolled their eyes and came out, leaving him to laugh alone.
"That man…!" Laika grumbled.
"…has no cure!" Search Man finished.
"Totally." Enzan settled.
"Jeez. It's a miracle I haven't gone mad yet!" Obihiro complained.
"By all the…" Blues cursed.
"This is madness." Yuuichirou groaned.
"Sure thing…" Netto sighed as well.
"He's gonna drive us crazy."
"Banga – kun! Let me tell you something! You'll find that your coffee cup will be replaced by mere water and a wizard will be to blame for the switch!" Oda told someone.
"How unrealistic, sir." The man named Banga replied.
"Maybe you need a Vesper Cocktail?"
"No, sir. I do not like cocktails, sir."
"Or should we say a few rounds of Martini?"
"No, sir. I never drink alcohol, sir."
"Anti – Alcohol Man: is that your alter ego, Banga – kun?"
"No, sir. I'm busy, sir, and I don't have time for randomness!"
"This youth, always in a rush to get somewhere… Take it slowly. You should do like Takeda Shingen! "Stay still as a mountain"!"
"Sheesh. Like that's going to help." Yuuichirou grumbled.
"You're right, sir. That's not going to help." Enzan sighed.
"I prefer random memes to that." Laika grumbled next.
"No wonder!" Obihiro sighed.
"Beware! Third-class fakirs will try to hypnotize us! Bring out the hand mirrors to defeat them! And get 333 EXP points!"
"This is ridiculous! Let's go, Blues! Time to train!"
11:24 AM (Japan Time)…
"… So! Cha are the newbie."
"Indeed, Tozukana – san. I have been briefed. Agoras. Do tell me if you need to me to research into someone."
"Alright! You're gonna find out if the bitch is plotting to kick me out by discrediting me!"
"Do excuse me?"
"Jeez. She means Ikada."
"Ikada – san, then… What should we do, Victor?"
"I'd rather say we check it with Mr. President before making a move, shouldn't we, Joel – kun?"
"I don't need a bureaucrat! I need someone dynamic!"
"Who would that be, Tozukana – san?"
"Yikes! P-President!?"
"Indeed."
Agoras and Victor (using his life-sized hologram projecting out of a Link PET having the brown grid drawn over it) had been walking down the HQ's corridor when Tozukana and Lily appeared in front of them; Tozukana carried her PSG-1 sniper rifle with the safety on and aiming diagonally towards the ground while Lily had crossed her arms; Agoras greeted her in a formal manner and she began to speak ill of Ikada again; a voice joined the conversation and Tozukana apparently felt a shiver go down her spine given her face; Hades happened to be there.
"I would prefer if such rude language wasn't used here."
"M-my bad, Danna…" She gulped.
"I am not punishing you, Tozukana – san. I am making a suggestion. I know you and Miss Ikada are rivals to each other but that's no reason to degrade their social status in front of others."
"R-roger… I'll… be careful…!"
"See?" Lily rolled her eyes.
"Oh come on."
"By the way, Agoras – kun…"
"Yes, sir? What should I do, sir?"
"I have a report which I'd like of you to complete. Given your references, then you should be able to get the information that we need. You mustn't rush either…" He told him.
"Do excuse me, sir, but… It is not like I am declining; yet, don't you have a secretary who could help you out, sir…?"
"Oh. True. Yet I feel like I abuse of their good faith."
"If that is the reason then I shall be delighted to handle it."
"There's no rush, really. I don't mind if you take a whole month or more to work on it…"
"Roger, sir. I shall be going."
"Hey! Wait a min! I'm late and I almost miss ya."
"Oh my. You're Kage Miquel – kun, right?"
"And Andy – kun as well…"
"Miquel! Where in the… world… were you?"
"Napping."
"NAPPING?"
Kage rushed down the corridor along with Andy; Tozukana questioned him, and he replied at once; Tozukana was bewildered at the reply.
"You see, the Ryuusei Program stuff demanded a lot of mental and physical effort from me and I ended up beaten. I slept like a log. VP's orders, too. Got a problem with that?"
"Besides, since today is a Sunday… I'm Andy. Nice to meet you, Watson, my buddy." Andy made a joke.
"You noticed?" He grinned.
"Let's get along,Agoras – san." Kage invited.
"Oh please. Let's drop the formalities."
"If you insist…"
"When you're finished, drop by my office and we'll have a little chat about that report stuff." Hades invited.
"Understood, sir!"
"Please keep a check on your vocabulary, Tozukana – san. It would no good for our image. I should remind you that you cannot physically fight Ikada – san. Is that understood?"
"Y-yeah, Danna… Understood!" She gulped.
"Well then. Enjoy."
"Alright, Miquel! Where were you really? I'm sure there's a… woman… involved!" She glared at him.
"Maybe you're over-reacting? Do you want the field data on the Ryuusei Program and the data of my nanomachines plus brain implant to prove how I really got tired from the whole ordeal?" He asked.
"Yikes! Yeah, I'm over-reacting… The nanomachines data and all that is read-only so ya can't change it…" She gulped.
"See?" Lily fumed.
Tozukana merely fumed and walked away at a brisk pace with Lily following her; Kage shrugged while Agoras rubbed his chin.
"I learnt something: you must have a convincing alibi."
"Welcome onboard."
"Delighted. My skills are eager to be proven, indeed."