Chapter 26: Wrong place wrong time
18:20 PM (Japan Time), Monday May the 25th…
"Hey! Boss! Been a while."
"Miquel – kun! Glad you dropped by! The Net Police guys have returned to their usual routine of "waiting for something to happen", but Ijuuin is not giving up! He's been obsessed into trying to decipher that message you gave Hikari – kun through Agoras – kun. Besides that… Did the examinations go fine enough? The school year ends June the 19th, right?"
"Yeah. It's timed to end at the same time a normal school course ends! I've just had the preliminary exams and the next two weeks will be busy with preparing the final exams."
"It must've been lonely around here sans us… We did see the footage of the six-way-attack… That battle between Slur – sama and Blues was intense, indeed… About time the guys got serious!"
"I know! I also look forward to battling kyoudai at his full strength! Else it's not fun, you know."
Kage had come to visit Noir (disguised with his black cloth) on his office room; Andy shook hands with Legato, who'd been standing to Noir's right as if being a bodyguard.
"Some juice?" Noir offered.
"Apple."
"Alright. Here you have."
"Thanks, Boss. Cheers!"
"By the way… Could I ask of you to do a little thing?"
Noir became quiet and made some gestures to Legato, who drew a field detector, and began to check the outer walls.
"… Nothing, sir."
"Good. I don't want Suzuki – san to hear this."
"Obviously enough, Boss."
"I've procured some documents to send an agent to the Waterworks so as to install a device, which will allow their Internet-linked components to be scanned by Zero's terminals, as well and to filter dangerous traffic sent towards them… Could you do it? Agoras – kun is busy with another investigation. Zarashe – kun is on a mission along with Ikada – san. The snipers are out of the question too and so are the Navis… I'd gone myself but I'm feeling tired as of late because I've been working like Hell in Purgatory, which is over 90% complete and Zero's initial testing simulations…" Noir told Kage.
"Point is: I gotta go. OK! I can go right now."
"Pick that sports bag over there! It has the maintenance uniform you need. Besides, they'll only glance at the documents and the ID before allowing you in… They're not taking security very highly and thus I picked that place given such criteria… I made it look like you've been learning for some years and they sent you to check it out, but you'll be in contact with a senpai to make sure you're not gonna screw it up." He detailed.
"Alright. I go, place that, and head back."
"The device itself looks like an extra system for backup purposes so they won't think it's dangerous. They'll rather look for something in the Cyber World…"
"Excellent. Let's go, Andy. I'll drop by tomorrow 'cause I wanna have a better chat with ya before tackling on the exams… See ya round Lucky Corner, Boss."
"Take care, Legato. I'll later tell you how it felt to take part in a little "sabotage" of a major Government facility…"
"I'll be waiting to hear it."
"Good luck."
"Thanks. Time to rumble and mumble!"
"Good one. Patent it as well!"
18:50 PM (Japan Time)…
"… Alright, so you're the Government inspector. Your senpai will be monitoring you, I see. Go to the water filtering systems and have a look at them! We're still disputing if we should replace Filter 4-D or not… You may help us settle that."
"Yes, sir. I shall get to work immediately, sir."
"Good. Go."
"Thank you, sir."
Kage (disguised as a technician by wearing blue overalls and boots along with a cap while having removed his bandana and sunglasses) had been speaking with a Waterworks official before given the go-ahead.
It's just like Boss said! Too easy, by Moran!
He walked up a set of stairs while carrying a tool-box and then opened a door into the room with the huge water filtering machines and their control panels; Kage headed for the room's furthest console and examined it before crouching and taking out a folded paper from his trousers' right pocket, which contained a set of blueprints; Andy projected with the hologram and looked at them too.
"Alright. I gotta remove the SE compartment cover because there's nothing inside of it and connect four wires! I then replace the panel, place the screws on its place and I'm done with it. It should be over in less than 15 minutes… I'll take some notes and say that I'll forward the results after going through the usual bureaucracy. By then they'll have forgotten all about me, and we'll be alright."
"Heh. Boss is a genius, yessir." Andy grinned.
Kage used a screwdriver to remove the screws; he took the cover out and examined the cavity, which looked ready to insert something there; he grabbed a sealed metallic box with three wires colored red, green and blue emerging from its left and inserted it.
"OK!"
He then connected the wires using the other ones coming out from inside of the console nefore he flipped a switch and a green LED turned on.
"The system will synch with the Waterworks server! Since it has the passwords, there'll be nothing thing's software is just there to listen in and intercept hostile data like Viruses. It doesn't allow controlling it!"
"Perfect. That was fast. Let's go for the second phase."
"Wanna make a couple with Akemi?" He teased.
"Come on." He rolled his eyes.
"That means "yeah" last time I checked." He teased next.
"No! I don't intend to! I don't want to bother Akemi – san!" He blushed, annoyed, as he whispered his reply.
"Or do you want Rock Man's pink friend?"
"Roll – san? Oh no! That's Rock Man's stuff. I don't want to get in the way of that 'cause they're both long-time friends."
"What about Lily?"
"Lily – san? No way." He settled.
"Or how about Sandra?"
"Beta X got hooked by Sandra – san already so drop it and let's finish this job already, Operator." He fumed.
"Sure, sure, Mr. Absolute."
"Jeez. Did you have nothing else to talk about?"
"Alright! That was the last screw… Now let's go check Mr. Filtering Filter of Filters and let's hope it ain't a profanity filter."
"When did your sense of humor turn this crazy? Did Video Man and company have something to do with it or WHAT? That humor is just so literal… so crazy!" Andy complained.
"You never know. They might be involved!"
He accessed a console's data with the PET and began to look at photos of a large filter; he compared them with others filters.
"Hmmm… It has degraded by 14.8% since its installation 6 years ago so it's holding out pretty well! It could be dangerous, though! I'd rather say they should replace it or we'll have a bad surprise one day."
"Let's finish checking with the other machines and head home already."
"That kick straight into the goal was cool! You should've seen it, Ice Man!"
"Guess so, desu…"
"Oh crap." Kage gasped.
"I know that voice." Andy gasped.
"Quick! Behind this machine!"
Both hid behind the bulk of a machine and glanced at the point where the room turned to orient itself northwards; voices were coming from there.
"Hikawa Tooru – kun, of B Class…! I'd forgotten his father is the director of his facility!" Kage muttered.
"And that's his Navi Ice Man… Guess I should go back inside the PET! Hide it on the pocket, pretend to be working, pick the toolbox and head out ASAP… We'll tell the employee about the filter, come out into the street and we get away full speed…" Andy whispered a course of action.
"G-gotcha…!"
The aforementioned Hikawa Tooru came into view; he was a teenager about Kage's age.
He had short and combed brown chestnut hair and chestnut brownish irises as well.
Today he wore the middle school uniform, and was animated as he held a bluish Link PET with the drawing of a snowflake against a blue background as emblem and talked with the Navi named Ice Man.
Ice Man was pretty short heighted.
He wore Eskimo – like clothes colored lush green and forest green; his gloves were colored brown and so were his boots.
His eyes were brown and he had a small nose; two figures colored pink and shaped like seashells were drawn on his cheeks.
His head was surrounded by the parka's own hood.
He carried a small backpack colored brown with his emblem drawn on it.
"Hmmm? Whose tool-box is this?"
"M-mine."
Kage came out after hidding his PET and lowering the cap to hide his face.
"Oh. The Government Inspector…? No offense, but…"
"Newbie. Senpai telling me." He quickly replied.
"I apologize. Let's go elsewhere, Ice Man."
Kage began to type into a console while giving him the back; Hikawa stopped on his tracks as he was about to head back; he turned around and saw how the lower half of Kage's PET was coming out of his right pocket.
"Could it be…?" He whispered to himself.
He made the "silence" sign to Ice Man as he tiptoed until he reached him and got a better look at the PET; he then studied the hair that was visible.
"Is that you, Kage – kun?"
"W-wrong person." He improved a foreign accent.
"There's only one person I know with such a PET." He argued.
"F-fashion." He quickly replied.
"Kage – kun! You can't fool me. Not even 11 months after we last saw each other. What happened to you? Hikari – kun kept on saying you'd gotten involved in some organization or another…"
"Wrong person!" He insisted.
"Come on. I'm not dumb."
"Wrong p…!"
Hikawa grabbed his PET, so he instinctively turned around to catch it back; his reflex action allowed Hikawa to see his face, though.
"Are you gonna kept on pretending now?"
"Crap." He muttered under his breath.
"What are you doing here? Why are you posing as a Government Inspector?"
"Go home." He snapped back.
"Not until you tell us what's going on."
"Ask Hikari – kun! I wasn't here! At all!" He growled.
"What's with you? You used to be nicer."
"People change, Hikawa – kun! Now GO HOME!"
"You're not my dad." Hikawa was being stubborn.
"Fuck! I'm not doing anything bad for the Waterworks! This is for the sake of the Waterworks' stability and security! GO HOME!"
"I won't."
"By all the… Andy! What do I do NOW, huh? Gimme an idea! With this guy around the whole point of the mission will go ashtray!" He whispered.
"I'm thinking!" Andy protested.
"Aren't Navis supposed to think way faster than humans? You're computer programs after all!" He snapped.
"Man! I know that! However, we can't form plans out of air! Not even the best military minds can think of a strategy on the field!" Andy defended himself.
"Hey… What's that bulky thing there, in the tool-box?"
"That bulky thing…? A boomerang!" He improved.
"When did you become such a liar?" Hikawa didn't fall for it.
"This is for your good, man! GO HOME!"
Hikawa played deaf and grabbed the bulk covered by a handkerchief; it was Kage's own Beretta M92F with the silencer included; it had the initials "KM" written on its grip's left side using golden-colored paint.
"A gun! How can you go around with a gun? You're not gonna tell me you're in the Yakuza!" He gasped.
"Wrong!"
"I guess I should call the police because I don't like your behavior and you're carrying a gun in an illegal manner."
"Damn it! You've left me no other choice…!"
He yanked the gun from Hikawa's hands, removed the safety and shot a dart at his right knee; Hikawa gasped and became sluggish before collapsing on the ground; Kage quickly grabbed his PET and switched it off.
"Lovely. Now what, Mr. Anderson?" He grumbled.
"We came here walking from the parking where we left the black Toyota at so… We could use a "Dimensional Converter" and go to Purgatory! We can bring Boss and try to negotiate into reaching some deal…"
"Sounds like a half-plan but whatever…"
"Tell the guys that you're done with firstly."
"Yeah, I know. You stay here and keep an eye out for the guy while I go speak with them… Let's hope his father thinks he's still wandering around and takes a while to notice… It's inevitable that he'll notice the fact!
He left the PET on the ground to allow Andy's life-sized hologram to project; he then lifted his toolbox and closed it before heading into the small control room.
"My senpai says that the filter you mentioned could be a danger if left as it is, sir. The new regulation mandates that they should be replaced every five years so you're one late with this, sir." He calmly reported.
"Oh man. Now we'll get a scolding." One technician groaned.
"I apologize."
"No. It's not your fault, lad. I knew we should've done something about that thing before but we've been way too lazy…"
"Alright, sir. I'll be leaving, sir."
"Sure, sure. Thanks for the advice, anyway."
Kage hurried back into the main room and scanned the area; he lifted Hikawa and placed him over his right shoulder as he held the toolbox with the left hand; he nodded to Andy before pocketing the PET.
"Let's get out, now!" He whispered.
He hurried to the west side and pushed open a door leading into the emergency staircases; he climbed down a couple of floors and pushed another door open to exit into a small alley between two huge buildings, and which was mostly unlit.
"OK! No problems insofar. Next!"
"Roger! Starting up "Dimensional Converter"…"
A "hole" of yellowish energy formed in the ground and one of those "Dimensional Converters" emerged from within it while it began to emit its characteristic booting up sound.
"How long does this piece of junk take to boot up!?" He growled.
"Patience! It'll be ready in less than 30 seconds!"
"It better be! Fortunately, there's no sensors or cameras!"
"OK! Booting ready! We're warping!"
"About bloody time! Let's get there and call Boss!"
19:10 PM (Japan Time)…
"… Ijuuin – kun? I picked up something that might interest you."
"Great. I knew it was a good idea to ask of you to set up a bot to react to names of Golden Star members, or known aliases. So?"
"Yeah. The Waterworks. "Wholy Jisep"."
"Talk about nostalgic. Hadn't heard that name ever since the incident of Hosoyoda's mysterious disappearance!"
"Yeah. For me, it's been a while too. Last time it was when the whole story about Omenda – san and that program…"
Enzan was going over some footage of the battle against Freeze Man of some days ago when Obihiro knocked on the door and entered his workspace, relaying him some newst; Enzan turned the chair to face Obihiro and was slightly surprised.
"There's more. The manager of the facility, Hikawa – san, has filed a report to the police because his son has vanished."
"Hikawa…? Didn't Hikari say that it was a classmate of his?"
"Correct. The father reports that he found his wallet in the alley where one of the emergency stairs exits. However, there were no traces of any car or vehicle having been there." Obihiro read up from his PET.
"A mysterious disappearance, huh? They must've used that "Dimensional Converter" machine to warp away. Hikawa Jr. must've stumbled upon whomever was using that "Wholy Jisep" alias and he was taken away before he could ring the alarm… He must've witnessed something or heard something that led him to realize there was an intruder."
"This subject was posing as a Government Inspector. From what Hikawa – san gathered from staff who saw them, it was a man. But that's all."
"Alright. I'll go interview that person. Maybe there'll be some call."
"OK. Handle it. Nevertheless… I wonder what those guys were doing in the Waterworks to begin with… Is it part of their next move…?"