Chapter 20: Personal
18:58 PM (Japan Time), Wednesday April the 4th…
"… Hi there! Legato. Wanting to feel the chaos at the start of everything or rather starting it up?"
"Not bad, Kage!"
"So, is the babe kicking asses?"
"It'll soon be. The inner components are in place and the shell is ready but the programming still has some bugs to it pending fixing. I guess it'll still take this month's time to start up even at low capacity. Then we'll be slowly adding more capacity as we final installing the CWC Plan components out there…"
"Excellent, my dear Moran."
"Andy – kun. I was dying to hear your voice again. It's been three days since we last saw each other. April's Fool… That day sure was crazy! Too bad that Ms. Secretary and Pharaoh Man were not the types to pull pranks on other…"
"Where's our cat-like Boss?"
"Oh, Noir – sama, you mean? Up in the deck! He wants to look at the sunset. He's been working a lot in the programming, too! You know we gotta do this in person to avoid any leaks."
"Of course. Andy. I'm leaving you here and I'm gonna go have a chat with Chat – sama."
"Not bad. I guess Boss will like that one!"
Kage had walked into a metallic room somewhere containing a lot of wiring under the floor boards which then emerged from square holes cut in the ground and forming a matrix at both sides of the central corridor, which led like five meters deeper in, where a tall machine was being installed at; Legato was working on its left side and typing into a holographic screen.
"Before that, though… Have a look."
Legato pulled a cloth covering the front feature-less slab of the machine to reveal a golden-colored "Ø" symbol painted on the very center of it; both Kage and Andy whistled in admiration.
"It's official, then? This huge babe is gonna be named Zero?" Kage asked.
"Totally settled."
"That logo is cool. But not as cool as you, Legato."
"You're praising me." Legato laughed.
"Well then. I'm off to the deck. Call me once you're done."
"Don't worry. We just want to have a little friendly chat, Miquel – kun, before going back to the mainland." Andy told him.
"Good."
Andy stretched while Legato kept a respectful distance from him; Andy crouched next to one of the square openings were several ready wires were emerging; there was something pending to be connected there.
"The terminals have come already or are they still in the making?"
"Over 98% of them are ready and undergoing final testing. As I said, we hope to have this whole thing rumbling by June at the earliest. We still are pending these terminals and debugging of the main software to then synch it up with the test nodes. Testing is gonna take us the last days of this month and ALL of May if the schedule is kept." Legato replied.
"It ain't like I'm rushing you. A lot can happen in these days to come but I believe in you and in our cause. Nothing can halt us. No army can get in the way: nothing will stop us from bringing much-needed stability to society… And to protect those in need of protection."
"Thanks, Andy – kun."
"Of course. That doesn't mean we'll be absolute and perfect. But we'll work on our own, without other "interests" getting in the way!"
19:11 PM (Japan Time)…
"…Hey! I came to chat with the Chat Noir guy: catch my rhyme? Or do ya wanna go trolling and rolling like a burning building?"
"Where did you pick that crazy rhyme from?"
"Nowhere. I invented it, Boss."
"You always were better at that than me."
"By the way! Have you been sleeping properly? Is the fear of the dead old man haunting you again? Be honest with me, Boss."
"… Yeah. The old man… Damn it. I can't shake it as much as I try to: I still have nightmares as a result of the enforced VR simulations… The fucking bastard wanted to keep me in a tight leash… By mixing my sense of reality and dreams, until I lost all motion of reality and moved like a puppet devoid of will!"
"Calm down. The old man died along with the bearded old man on that day and not a single bone of them survived."
"I know that. However, the effects are there. Even by trying to overwrite those VR thoughts with the chip implant, they're lodged in part somewhere in my subconscious… I can't stop trembling and I'm afraid one day I'll screw everything up because I won't be able to tell one thing apart from the other…!"
"Calm down. Relax."
Kage had come out into a large deck filled with small buildings and structures; there were two gigantic retractable covers colored in a dull metallic green color suspended over the deck, which looked like they could encompass and seal all of it if needed; the sun was setting on the east side and someone was leaning on the handrail looking out at the reddish ocean.
Noir had taken off his monk's cloth to reveal his face; he was probably around the same age as Kage; his face was rather reminiscent of Kage's own face to begin with.
Today he wore a black wool jumper, fingerless gloves, jeans with a black leather belt and a pair of black socks coupled with black sneakers and sunglasses; he also had a black wool cap turned backwards.
His hair and eyes were not visible yet he was about two to three inches taller than Kage.
He currently had turned to face Kage and closed his fists as if to express frustration and anger; Kage placed both hands over his shoulders to try to calm him down; Noir slowly sat down while Kage sat right next to him.
"… I'm sorry. I must look like an idiot to someone so clever and nice like you, Miquel – kun." He sighed and hung his head down.
"Come on, Noir… Let's quit the illusion and go back to what we are: companions. We're all in the same ship… literally speaking. So let's ride on it until the destination port. The seas are calm and there's no noticeable wind or storm… We can do it." Kage told him.
"I know, but sometimes…"
"Noir. Come on. You're a rock, man. I know you can do it through this: do you want me to get an autograph of Hikari – kun which you can place there, in your work desk, and remember that he's the guy who inspired us along with Serenade?" Kage suggested.
"What did you say!?"
"Settled, then."
"B-but… Won't he be surprised to see you again and all? We can't know what Ijuuin told him… He must trying to get Hikari – kun to consider you an enemy! You should find a manner of meeting him without Ijuuin trailing you guys, or else he could get into trouble. I know he's a normal civilian and not bound by obligations, but you never know." Noir warned.
"Don't worry… Legato is burning with the desire to beat Blues again and Blues is impatient to match swords with him… Lure him out and Legato can end up benefiting…"
"Alright… When will you meet with him?"
"I've gotta contact him firstly but I guess tomorrow at some random café full of people would do fine… The more the better… I know: the Starbucks coffee in the shopping mall…"
"Alright… You'll do fine. I need to focus on doing this… I don't care if I'm missing what goes on the mainland… I've been noticed having this behavior, so I don't want it to happen anymore… The rooms aren't totally furnished yet but I've brought a camping tent and a sleeping bag in which to nap inside of one of these buildings… A portable heater… Provisions for three days… I'm gonna camp here and use some of the automated Navis to speed up work on the rooms… Then we'll handle the computer room where the terminals have to be set at…"
"That's the Noir I know."
"Sorry for that of before…"
"Don't mind it. Couldn't you let Zarashe handle some programming parts as well? He's good at those. Just tell him it's a big secret and suggest that he better say nothing… He should pretend he's working on something else like an app or something…" Kage suggested.
"Good idea, really…"
"Sorry for the wait! Did I interrupt?"
"No, not really. We were wrapping up."
"Are you alright, sir?"
"Yeah… I just needed to vent it out…"
Andy and Legato came into the deck; both guys stood up, shaking some dust off them, and looked upwards to see some seagulls flying around them and the massive vessel: the waters were pretty still and there was no noticeable movements thanks to its mass and size; Noir looked at the sunset as the sun was starting to fall below the horizon for the day.
"I guess I'll soon have to get ready to sleep… I should try to fill my mind with something entertaining or cool or something to think about so as to sleep in calm…" Noir muttered.
"Try reading a Holmes story." Andy suggested.
"Why not…"
"Well then! We're going. Take care, Noir, my companion."
"Yup. You guys take care too… And if it isn't much asking…"
"I know." Kage grinned.
"Bust them all, Legato."
"Delighted. Kyoudai needs a motivator, too."
"Oh! I had an idea, see! There's this game, Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne. It has multiple paths and all and many combinations of "demons" and moves too. So it's fit to play several times and play in a different style each time." Kage suggested.
"Oh yeah, I'd heard of it. Guess I'll try it out, then."
"Otherwise… There's always Conan and Kindaichi. They have games, too, mainly for the PS1… Some for PS2 too…"
"Gotcha. My PS3 can play PS1 games too, so… Speaking of PS games, guess I should one day play the famous FFVII too…"
"Sure. That one's pretty fun too, from what I've heard."
"Hmmm… That motivates me. Having several things to try out… There's always YouTube and NicoNico for videos and jokes."
"Or there's those short comic strips like Garfield or Peanuts. They are simple but their irony and sarcasm is fun." Andy suggested.
"Or for crazy stuff there's the James Bond films where all gets blown up in a comical fashion… At least in the classical ones."
"You're right, guys. I was too fixated on my pity and forgot there's tons of things to do to have fun. We're young. Let's enjoy this youth!"
"That's the Boss I wanted to see!"
"Glory to Golden Star!"
20:22 PM (Japan Time)…
"… I'm home~!"
"Welcome back, Netto, Rock Man. We've got a visitor."
"Huh? Hey, Enzan! What's up?"
"Not much… Training all over again…"
"All over again? Why? You're a strong guy!"
"I'm rusted."
"Rusted? Please tell me this is a joke."
"It ain't."
"Is that true, Blues?"
"Yeah. Unfortunately."
Netto got back into home, and took off the sneakers to put on the slippers; he sported the middle school uniform and carried a sports bag on his right shoulder, which he left on the ground next to table as he sat down to chat with Enzan, who was sitting on the opposite chair, looking beaten: Netto was surprised by his behavior and Rock Man tried to talk with Blues, who avoided his gaze.
"Miquel's buddies are too strong or what?"
"Yeah. They are. Cosmo Man drove us into a corner the other day!"
"Cosmo Man! Oh heck. I remember how he disguised as Forte to try to lure me out. He then merged with that "Nebula Grey" monster but we managed to put them down in the end!" Rock Man groaned.
"Now you see why."
"Is there anything I can do…?" Netto timidly asked.
"You're not to blame. Don't bother with it."
"Really? But that of Miquel and that program…"
"We already settled he was over-imaging things and was acting like a fan who thinks that someone taking a photo of his idol or asking some private questions is an attack on their pride and thus he must answer it back on their place… That's all." Enzan settled.
"If you say so…"
"Don't worry… These guys are very different from the others! They try to keep the powerful forces in balance so that, when combined, we can put pressure and crack down some eyesores…" He yawned.
"Here: some water."
"Thank you, ma'am… I'm sorry."
"No, no… You're tired, Ijuuin – kun. You need some rest and this will do you well. Would like to stay and have dinner too?"
"No, ma'am. Thank you, really, yet… I would be intruding, ma'am. I would be asking too much, ma'am." He politely declined.
"Oh, really… However, you're welcome anytime. Right, Netto?"
"Sure! You're a good pal, after all, Enzan!"
"Thanks… Anyway… The other day Tomahawk Man had to deal with Video Man and he had some trouble before Colonel jumped into the scene but fell into Video Man's trap because he's recorded data of his movements and main abilities… After that. he pulled out and it turned out that the security had been neglecting so some heads rolled across the ground and others were kicked off… Really… What good is to build a base in the Cyber World if seemingly anyone can get in with ease?"
"Good point, really." Rock Man realized.
"Are you sure that I can't do anything?"
"I'm sure of it, Hikari. Do what you do every day. I've got my other stuff to care about… By the way… Had Kage ever mentioned a man named "Twilight"?" Enzan brought up.
"Twilight? Don't you mean the Legend of Zelda game?"
"No, no. A man named "Twilight"…"
"No. I'd certainly remember such a name."
"Guessed as much… Apparently, it's Noir's old Boss but we dunno where and when… This show is starting to irritate me, really… Speaking of irritations, did the wound heal?"
"Yeah. Pretty much. I've forgotten it by now."
"Sorry. I didn't want to bring up a bad memory…"
"Don't mind it. By the way… Dad told me about those "Copy Roids" and I was wondering… Do they really work?"
"Yeah. Totally."
"Whoa. Then I could go one day and have Rock Man try it out inside of the Science Labs… Wouldn't you like to, Rock Man?"
"Who wouldn't? To be able to experience the real world again…"
"Can't say it isn't exciting…" Blues muttered.
"Now I remembered something about Superintendent Oda… Just before I quit for the start of my 1st year, I went to sign the documents formalizing my retirement and I saw him come down the stairs from an upper floor in a very agitated state… That was about August, 2008…"
"But that's long ago."
"I've always felt like Superintendent Oda got into trouble with the previous Chief… I'd heard rumors that they didn't get along much… I never met them, of course, but…" Netto commented.
"True… What became of the man, I wonder… Maybe there was some reason why he had to retire in a quiet manner… It could have some linking with Kage's uncle group because of their conservationism too… I'll have a look into it." Enzan reflected.
"I hope I've been of help… Lately I feel like I don't deserve being named a "hero" to begin with…" Netto sighed.
"Don't worry. You're doing your best."
"Thanks."
"See you."
"Later."
"Take care, Blues."
"I know how to do that."
"Good evening, ma'am!"
"Bye!"
Enzan came out into the streets and didn't notice Ikada spying on him from a side street, wearing her black leather suit and riding her motorbike, which was currently stopped.
That's the Hikari house, yes? Gotcha. They've had some exchange of opinions!
"What are you thinking of now? Beta's Operator isn't enough for you? You wanna "seduce" that Ijuuin guy, too?" Sandra asked
She (wearing a suit and helmet, too) looked up from scanning around the bike's surroundings
"Oh no! I just wanted to see if he's still hooked or not. Guess he needs some more stimulation. Maybe a "love letter" will do?"
"Very funny. I doubt the guy caring for those."
"Ijuuin! Play detective all you long but my woman's instinct will tell me when you'll have given up! Which you'll eventually do!"
"I wouldn't be so sure of it. The President says over-confidence is bad."
"Hmmm… When you put it like that… Let's scram before he sees us."
"Roger that. Remember to not to overdo it with your "games", too."
"Don't worry, my dear, I've got it under control! Let's rock!"