Chapter 15: Seasonal winds
09:17 AM (Japan Time), Saturday February the 3rd…
"… So… Omega says the season end's come, right?"
"Yeah… Like always!"
"Good. Let's focus on the upcoming exams."
"Of course."
"And in the meanwhile… Bloody~ Shadowy~! I'm the Earl of Ugliness!"
"How original, Sigma."
The twins were sitting in the chairs in front of their desk within their bedroom and talking with Sigma and Blood Shadow: Sigma was cocky, as usual, while Blood Shadow was calm and collected.
"Hey. Guys. It's me." Isaac called out.
"Password?" Blood Shadow asked.
"It's coming from another dimension."
"What is?"
"Nothing."
"Good. You can come in."
"Nelaus wanted to ask if we could gather at the park for a chat."
"Sure. Let's go, Netto – kun."
"OK! Let's go!"
Both picked their PETs and headed downstairs to put on the sneakers and the coats: they exited the home and headed for the park: Nelaus was already there, waiting for them.
"I thought it'd be more comfortable to meet in person."
"Sure. Good idea!"
"Aha-hah! I knew it! You have a Super Ultra Mega Perfect Rare Chip! Gimme one!" Dekao suddenly rushed in.
"Huh? What gave you the idea, Ooyama?" Nelaus sighed.
"My Chip Nose!"
"How original. Patent it for some RPG." Netto sighed.
"Gimme that!"
"Why should I?"
"To become Akihara's Savior!"
"We ARE the Net Saviors, you know."
"No! There can only be one savior! Ooyama Dekao – sama~! With the blessing of my masters!"
"The Maha Ichiban's staff? Sheesh. That of "disciple" was something you forced them to do. They lost in purpose to shake you off. Didn't you realize that when you fought Burner Man?" Netto sighed.
"What!" He gasped.
"Reality is cruel but such is reality." Saito dully added.
"Dekao~… You're such a gullible guy!" Yaito giggled as she walked in.
"You set me up! Yaito – chan!" He grumbled.
"Yep! To prove I'm smart!"
"Nobody questions that. But shouldn't you be focusing on the training to become a respectable and capable leader of Gabcom Inc.? Else you father will scold you!" Saito asked back, unsurprised.
Yaito gulped and nervously looked around: the others (save Dekao) sighed in defeat and rolled their eyes.
"Hi~! Rainon – ku~n! I'm glad you called for me~!"
"I didn't! I'm sure Miss Ayanokouji did it."
"You again? Sheesh." Tamashita sighed.
"Had the hunch…" Felicia rolled her eyes.
"Guts, guts. Guts Man will become Ultra Man, de guts."
"I fail to see the point, sir." Glyde politely argued.
"There's none. It's a scam." Blood Shadow told him.
"Scram-scam!" Sigma made up a silly pun.
"What's up today?" Hikawa joined them.
"They said there was something to discuss, desu." Ice Man muttered.
"Uh… Hi, everyone…" Eboshi timidly joined them.
"You called everyone?" Saito asked Yaito.
"Yep! The party's not complete sans the club!" She grinned.
"It had to be you." Enzan grumbled.
"I shall make no comments." Blues dully muttered.
"The Queen of Pranks is your enemy, eh, Enzan?" Laika joked.
"Laika – sama, sir… What is the point of it, sir?" Search Man asked.
"There's none." Blood Shadow sighed.
"Had the hunch…" He confessed.
"What's with this ruckus? Yaito – chan, you again? Sheesh. You never learn the lessons or WHAT?" Meiru complained.
"Who else?" Roll fumed.
"Got excellent news! Miss Joke & Co. is about to recruit excellent brilliant super ultra-magnificent staff!"
"Too long." Everyone (save Guts Man, Glyde and Dekao) complained.
"Too great to express it in simple words!" She laughed.
"Beef! Tuna! I'm the savior of the cattle and the fish! Commander Nature, on the scene!"
"HUH? What now?"
They all looked atop the jungle gym to see Commander Beef standing there and saying stupid stuff.
"An evil soul devours your kindness…"
"UWA~H! SOMEONE SAVE ME~!"
BLOF!
"Ugh…! That hurt…!"
"Sheesh. Lovely!"
A sinister voice had rung out behind him and he jumped off the jungle gym, scared, to fall into the sand: he groaned as Miyuki silently appeared there: her face was immobile and she had her usual unwelcoming glare on her eyes; everyone gulped.
"Mi… Miyuki~! Don't scare me like that!" He complained.
"Someone has to purify you from evil temptations."
"Protecting nature is an evil temptation?" Skull Man grumbled.
"Ah. I thought he was saying to overcome nature."
"Did you cleanse your ears?" Shark Man complained.
"Eh…That's…" She suddenly blushed and lost her composure.
"Guess not." Skull Man concluded.
"MASU~! Nelaus – kun! A blank check, I offer you a blank check!"
"For what? The "Bestialize" Chips? Can't sell them: they only work for Isaac, Mr. Higure! So please be rational!"
Higure ran in next and waved a white piece of paper in front of Nelaus, who sighed.
"Yamitarou! You moron! A blank check is not a white paper! It means that the other person can withdraw as much money as they desire! Why don't you bother to look up words?" Number Man explained.
"Is that so, masu?"
"Miyuki… Do you really believe being so creepy will attract further customers to your store? You scare them! I'm amazed you haven't run into trouble already." Saloma discussed.
"Sa-Saloma!" She gasped.
"What. It's not like you don't see me every day."
"N-no, b-but… Well…" She muttered.
"What? What do you want to say?"
"What perfume is that?"
"Perfume? I don't use any. Must the fragrance of some tulips I was watering a while ago." She shrugged.
"Tulips… Maybe that would attract customers?" She wondered.
"It's worth a try." Wood Man encouraged.
"If that'll make her behave…" Shark Man shrugged.
"Ah, the fire of the youth…" Dr. Wily chuckled as he walked in pulling his trolley filled, as usual, with empty cans.
"Does that include us?" Yuriko asked as she came in with Dark Miyabi.
"When's it?" Dr. Wily chuckled.
"FATHER!" She got annoyed.
"Huh? I didn't get it." Needle Man frowned.
"I didn't, either." Shadow Man admitted.
"Don't bother. It's a worthless troll." Miyabi replied.
"Mind if I join?" Scherezade asked.
"Sure. Some air will do well before their exams: that's when they get nervous and stressed and no wonder." Roll shrugged.
"Exam – Maxe!" Sigma made another pun.
"How original." Blood Shadow was hardly impressed.
"Oh well. Next time… We'll show those guys what we're really made of! Right, Netto – kun?" Saito got animated.
"Of course. If Meijin – san invites me to knock-out ramen."
"Ramen Glutton dropped by the town?" Meiru giggled.
"Nope. Ramen Connoisseur." Tamashita joked next.
"Why not?" Nelaus chuckled.
"Ramen Master!" Yaito suggested.
"Quit it with the titles…" Netto laughed.
"Let's create "Miss Title & Co."…" Saito grinned.
He patted Netto's back and both laughed…
11:29 AM (Japan Time)…
"… Thanks for the help."
"It's nothing. There was little staff here today so…"
"We should've done that before but it slipped us."
"Don't worry, Annihilator Man. If you guys need a maintenance scan just tell me. I'm glad to help."
"Meijin – san, Colonel – san has come."
"Allow him in."
"Good morning. Ah. It's been a while, Annihilator Man."
"Indeed, Colonel."
"Maintenance, huh? Guess I'll soon need some as well. Will do well to put some order to my cache and my archives."
"Did you meet Xon' Edos on the way here?"
"Did. Said he would drop by later."
Meijin had been talking with Annihilator Man as he took care of the maintenance of the other three "Rama" Navis of Balrog, Axe Man and Destruction Man: Colonel joined them and they began to talk.
"Reclaimers, I have windy news." Spark joined them.
"Windy news?" They all wondered.
"The Oracle of Winds will bring us the Mistral."
"Mistral? That's a strong, cold, northwestern wind that blows into southern France into the Gulf de Lion in the northern Mediterranean… Why would it appear in Japan?" Colonel argued back.
"Is that so? I thought it was a type of vessel."
"That's correct too… There's the Mistral-class amphibious assault ship of the French Navy…" Colonel admitted.
"Hmmm… If you say so, Reclaimer… Then who posted that in that RSS feed named "Windy News", I wonder? Some passionate of the winds? Wind Man, maybe? Is there such a Reclaimer?"
"There's a Wind Man registered in Shiisaa Island belonging to a priestess there, but… Database suggests he's the serious type. He's the guardian of the shrine, after all!" Meijin checked the database.
"Cloud Man. Who else?" Annihilator Man sighed.
"Vexation!" He got annoyed.
"Well. That should help reinforce the impression that Neo Gospel isn't that deadly. It's profitable for us." Colonel shrugged.
"When you put it like that, then… You've got a point."
"Meijin – san? A gentleman named Xon' Edos requests entrance."
"Good. Allow him in."
"I have news… Cloud Man was pullulating near my vehicle."
"Hmmm… First he makes up another stupid RSS feed and next he's scouting…" Colonel rubbed his chin.
"He did not come closer than 35 meters because that is when my defenses activate. Yet I think he would have beaten those. As I told you before, I had to improvise those using Battle Chips and Viruses."
"True. The outer shell itself should hold him back. No?"
"Of course. The energy field covering it can absorb and contain their anti-matter "bunshin"… Their power is too small compared to that of my energy field. And they are aware of it, of course."
"Hum. Alright. Keep an eye out just in case. You never know."
"Of course. I am remotely overseeing all the perimeter."
"Scan 98% complete…" Meijin told Annihilator Man.
"Good. Then we'll be able to go back soon."
"Hmmm? There is a curious banner up there. It has something written on it using red letters, Reclaimers." Spark spotted.
"Banner? What? What's that? "JINMEI – AMAS' DEVOUTED 666 NEOPHYTHES EAGER FOR BATTLE!"…" Colonel read.
"Cloud Man again! They pulled something like that in their debut season too! Using a commercial plane to pull an advert banner!"
"Really. Is that their best shot?" Colonel fumed.
"What is "Jinmei – amas"? Some kind of message?" Xon' Edos wondered.
"Message? Nah! It's but a stupid anagram!"
"Anagram… When the symbols that make up a word have their placement changed, was it? So what does it mean?" He seemingly recalled.
"Yeah. "Jinmei" is "Meijin" and "amas" is "sama"… So it actually says "Meijin – sama's"… That is, me."
"Neophyte? Is it related to something important?"
"Neophyte is an old world to depict a warrior that has finished training but has yet to experience a real battle or war. Nowadays they usually says "novice", "rookie", "green", "newbie"… Some still like to use because it's an exotic word." Colonel explained.
"Why 666 of all numbers? Is there a correlation?"
"There's a popular belief in the West, especially Europe, that this number depicts evil… I don't know why. I always found it to be so irrational and over-used…" Meijin explained next.
"So. Cloud Man means to say you have 666 apprentices that wish to have a battle and they all are "evil"." Xon' Edos sighed.
"Yeah. It's gibberish, nonsense."
"Indeed it is. So illogical. How can a Network Navigator like Cloud Man tolerate that? I fail to see the how."
"Twilight must've set up his AI program to like those. Twilight was originally human, after all. He passed that into Cloud Man. Maybe he intended to use that as a means to make others take them lightly… Like the Cut Man Brothers… They appeal as strong but are pretty weak."
"Ah yes. Some leftovers of the original "Gospel"… Wwho have a grudge with Rock Man… Over some misunderstanding…"
"Now it'd seem we've finally made them realize that grudge is pointless, somehow." Meijin sighed in relief.
"Meijin – san, I fixed a couple glitches in the app you gave me, sir."
"Oh! Thanks, Obihiro – kun."
"It's nothing, sir."
"Ah! Scan 100% completed… No abnormalities picked up. Good. I'm going to wake them up. Could you go to another spot to keep your chat? We don't want to start an all-out discussion."
"Of course not. Let us go, Colonel. I apologize for the inconveniences."
"Yeah. Let's go there. We can talk uninterrupted."
"Mugro~h… My flames are mild! I need to make 'em burn!"
"Not here."
"I know, Axe Man! Don't take me so literally."
"Hmpf. So be it."
"Now, now! Guys! Now's not the time to do this…"
The "Rama" Navis woke up: Balrog stretched and made a comment that Axe Man interpreted as literal: Destruction Man tried to calm them down.
"Order!" Annihilator Man ordered.
"Roger!" They all saluted.
"Axe Man! Don't be so picky. That's an order!"
"I offer no excuses." He bowed.
"Don't disappoint me."
"Roger, sir. I am aware, sir!"
"Greetings, Reclaimers. Skull Man says that he provides the ultimate solution for hangovers." Spark told them.
"Hangovers?" The Navis wondered.
"Oh come on! Spark! That's Cloud Man as well! Don't you realize?"
"Vexation!"
"Navis can't have hangovers to begin with." Meijin sighed.
"That was something that happened if you drank too much alcohol… Was it not?" Annihilator Man recalled.
"Yeah. But there's no Navi equivalent. Thank goodness."
"Hmmm? A Reclaimer named Connery says that you need a swift hand to steal something." Spark suddenly said.
"Sean Connery? That's got to be some parody by Cloud Man…"
"Vexation!"
"Lovely." Annihilator Man sighed.
"Shall I bring you their head, my Lord?" Axe Man offered.
"Shut. Up." He got annoyed.
Axe Man gulped, for once, and his two pals sighed.
"Focus on something productive. PRODUCTIVE! Huff! Thanks for the help, Meijin. We'll be leaving now before we get in your way… Let's go! And you stay quiet. I don't want your Sengoku samurai behavior!"
"Meijin – san: a call from the Not So Evil Quartet, sir."
"If it's Cloud Man then I'm gonna show 'im what I'm made of! Hello?"
"Whoa! What's with the mood, Meijin?" Hinoken gasped.
"Ah. Hino. It was you. Why that name?"
"Dr. Wily – sama said so… In a message he sent us…"
"I suspect Cloud Man. While Dr. Wily has some lame humor, this…"
"I knew it…" Madoi sighed in the background.
"It was to be expected." Maha wasn't surprised.
"OH MY GOD!" Count Elec yelped.
"Sheesh. Lovely!" The Navis complained.
"Those clowns again?" Dr. Regal stepped in and sighed.
"Apparently…" Laser Man ventured.
"My, my. It'd seem those Wall Street sharks never sleep. Always starting some fuss over the value of assets and so on!" Yuuichirou distractedly muttered as he walked past.
"Hakase…! We were talking about Cloud Man and…! Huff."
Whatever! If ya dare to show up then I'm going to give you a lesson!
16:45 PM (Honolulu Time), Friday February the 2nd…
"… Great! I'm 4th already!"
"I'm 2nd… The 1st has 3 red shells… I'm afraid he's going to use those the whole time or he's gonna throw one at me. I can try letting the 3rd one go ahead of me and get hit once but chances are that I'll be attacked next…"
"This is a 150cc online race!"
"I knew that. And it's the 2nd lap."
"On Bowser's Castle, no less!"
"Yeah, I know."
Cloud Man and Philip (wearing his usual civilian outfit) were sitting in a sofa inside of a room and playing Mario Kart Wii together: Cloud Man controlled a car with Wario on it while Philip controlled Luigi: the rest of the cars were other online players taking part.
"Oho. Someone's let loose the Stinger!"
"You mean the blue shell. I'll brake so that I don't get caught in the explosion…" Philiped shrugged.
"Boom! SNAKE~!" Cloud Man imitated a yell.
"Stop imitating Liquid and the Hind D battle."
"Greatness great! I'm 3rd now!"
"And I'm 1st. And the last lap's begun."
"Time to pick up booty! Item box!"
"Triple mushroom."
"Triple green shell! Not bad! By my might and night!"
"That your best shot?" Philip rolled his eyes.
Oh well. Today I'll spend a while here and then go pick up Cody to have our usual stuff… Heh… No – one can imagine it! I'm so smart…! It feels so good! Screw rules; if Cody and I want to, nothing will stop us from playing!
"Oho! Close to the goal… Ugh! You got there first! Heck!"
"Too bad! Let's make another challenge… Heh!"
"Fine~… Let's make another! Rainbow Road is next!"
"Huh! Rainbow Road… Level's increased… Not gonna chicken out… Gotta look out not to crash into obstacles…"
"You know! Maybe Mew's around here."
"Huh? Mew? The legendary PKMN? Why?"
"'Cause it looks like the final PKMN Snap stage! Snap Snape!"
"Oh come on. What a lame pun."
"Ya never know!"
"Race's about to begin. Want to be left behind?"
"Of course not… I'm going to borrow the teleporter!"
"Stop trying to appeal as cool and race. 3… 2… 1…"
"F-Zero!"
"Sheesh! Start!"
"Turbo mode on! I'm gonna smash Samurai Goroh!"
"It's Mario Kart, not F-Zero!" Philip grumbled.
"Cloud Man! Behave!" Freeze Man grumbled over the radio.
"Yikes! R-roger, sir!"
"I heard of the ruckus you started up! There'll be TALK! Later!"
"Oh heck." He grumbled.
"You got it coming for always starting up some mess." Philip fumed.
"Bapgei~… Do something about that!"
"Like I can. I've got no authority and you know it."
This guy's turning dumb or WHAT? Grah! Gotta focus! Race, race!
"Gruh! I'm 9th! Focus, focus!" Cloud Man gasped.
"Hmpf! You had better do so, Don Nube! Else you'll have to broom!"
You got it coming for behaving like a dumb moron… Anyway… Nelaus… Next time… You won't escape our battle so easily…
16:58 PM (Honolulu Time)…
"… So. Kranos. Anything new?"
"I managed to start a feud between NSA, NRO and the Ameroupe Net Saviors… Piece of a cake… They're already at each other's' throats!"
"Oho! That sounds fun."
"It is. I merely fueled existing tensions and jealousy that were floating all over the place… By using fake emails, of course!"
"As usual you have an eye for those things."
"Of course, Miss Anaya. I've been in the FBI long enough to realize the true nature… Each of them wants the glory for themselves. So that their big fishes get more money for their hides! To buy more and more expensive caprices and then show off…"
"Heh! So that's the true nature of them."
"Indeed! I'm witness to that. As you can see… I decided to go along with the flow… However, I used that money for something far more interesting… To create "Deadly Pandora"… My international mercenary org… A bit inspired by Big Boss' "Outer Heaven"…"
"You hadn't told me that. Interesting."
Anaya and Opoulos were talking in his office: Anaya was interested while Opoulos was calm and collected.
"What about Mr. Twilight?"
"Ordered him to take a one-week break. Gave him my copies of the MGS games and challenged him to clear them in Extreme mode… With no kills… Of course: since they've been completed before… Then he can use weapons and stuff collected in the first play-through… Also he can go hunt for small details or jokes too…"
"I see. That should help him disconnect."
"Yeah. I think I'll tell Freeze Man to run some maintenance on the guy. He tends to forget or ignore that like any Navi, he also needs a body and mind maintenance. Especially since that alien put that program on them!"
"Good. What about that young miss that worked for you?"
"Kataka, was it? Bah. Use 'n throw pawn. Was useful but I didn't want to waste my energies hiding the gal anymore. I'm not going to rely on more gals like that. It makes me look pale!" She shrugged.
"Understood. I thought as much. My sources indicate that Mr. Morgangantz and Mr. Blackdesu are searching for us in Taiwan. My latest "leak" had the desired effect. They're getting desperate for clues as well."
"Heh! The Analog Snatcher and the Digital Snatcher… Halman and Lucky Luke… Halman being the fusion of Dave Bowman and HAL 9000… As described in 3001: The Final Odyssey…" She smirked.
"Indeed. That was an interesting read."
"Excuse me! The tea." Izono came in.
"Good. By the way… What about Gondwana, Marco?"
"As you know, the whole facility was destroyed by Vadous a few months ago, apparently on request of Nelaus and Isaac. They foresaw us using it as a means to keep him in a tight leash." He explained.
"Sheesh. True. I was too annoyed to think about it. My idea of using the guy's girlfriend against him failed twice! First with that fake seer gal who got found out… Then by coercing the lil girl to come to the party of the summer… Sheesh. They're smarter than what I expected!"
"Gate also tried to do so, ma'am, and failed."
"Gate was a moron who was too full of himself. He was good at building stuff but not at reading people's personalities. Even less those of women… He was but a Navi I built… Nelaus did well on burying the guy. Was starting to get so shameful: seeing a creation of mine be so lame that no – one will remember him…" She shrugged.
"I see. But with your knowledge, my lady… You would be able to."
"Yeah. Besides. I already laid it out on that publication I made. Let's see if anyone will end up believing it."
"If you shall excuse me…"
"You'll go practice the Mexican Dance of Victory?" Anaya laughed.
"No, my lady." He got slightly annoyed.
"Oh that face!"
"Yes, my lady. By your orders, ma'am."
He calmly left the room but not without grumbling under his breath: Anaya giggled and Opoulos sighed.
"This is Freeze Man… I started the other Darkloids' maintenance, Cloud Man included… Zoan Gate Man will patrol the surroundings."
"Good enough. Did you give him an ice cream?"
"No, IQ – sama. I fail to see the point, ma'am. Also, you know that we Net Navis don't need to do anything like that, ma'am!"
"It's a joke! No need to be stiff 'bout 'em!"
"No offense, but I'm not fond of them."
"Don't worry! You just tell them they don't have desserts tonight. Because Desert Man stole them. Blame the desert jackal!"
"Oh please..! Understood!" He fumed.
"Miss… I fail to see the point too. Why annoy them?"
"To test their loyalty. If it's a crappy thing they'd surely insult me in some form or start yelling at me."
"I think that their programming doesn't allow them to but…" Opoulos argued back.
"You never know! Well. I'm going to have a dive… Keep on stirring those guys out there to fight each other."
"Delighted. Leave it up to me."
"Hmpf! Vadous… I won't make it easy for you to catch us… Next time I'm going to show you my serious CQC…"
Anaya exited into the corridor and drew a transmitter.
"Cloud Man! Fetch me Vincent's latest memes! I'm in the mood!"
"Huh! R-roger, ma'am… Right away, ma'am…!"
I'm going to show you not to underestimate me… I'm a genius… And I'll prove it to the world… Look forward to the next "season", Vadous…!
22:22 PM (Japan Time), Saturday February the 3rd…
"… So, Boss? Do we go raid them or not?"
"I've been thinking yet… There's still a factor to take into account."
"What? Apart from their fighting abilities?"
"We're forgetting about Opoulos…"
"Ah! True… Since the guy isn't a fighter…"
"We might be able to deceive Anaya and Twilight with our operations but… Opoulos is another tale. The man might get suspicious."
"Huff. Now it's turned complicated again."
"Things in life are always complicated."
"I knew that. It's just that…"
"We were about to get too cocky."
Omega and Vadous were having another planning meeting in the observation room: Vadous had brought a portable plastic chair to sit down while Omega stood to his right.
"Fine. So…What do we do instead?"
"We'll have to talk with the "Committee" and organize the strategies together… Chief Lezareno was in the NRO for many years. He knows about that world. Colonel Botos is former Air Force too. They've got their connections. Maybe they could know how to set up some scenario that even Opoulos believes on it…"
"Opoulos strikes me as very mercenary. Maybe if he hears there's a demand for mercenaries in say, Eastern Europe, he could divert his attention there. I'm sure he hasn't given up on Deadly Pandora even if all of his execs and men are jailed."
"Hmmm… Maybe. But then again we MUST talk with the "Committee"… They have far more experience that me, obviously enough. I might be 27, but… That's the body… You know that I've only been alive for 11 years… 1 and something was spent learning… I have less than 10 years of experience on the world… That's why we need the "Committee"… Their long experience and connections are needed…" He sighed.
"Alright. Take it easy, Boss. I'm not saying we rush in tomorrow! We'll take as much time as needed."
"Good. Remember: patience is the key here. If we screw it up… We lose this chance… And we don't know when a new one will come."
"Yeah… By the way… Annihilator Man passed a message to Sigma and Blood for us…He's noticed Dark Land agents tailing him."
"Dark Land again? Wasn't there a revolt and that General guy had to flee into exile? The civilians got power back, no?" He frowned.
"Maybe those are exiled Navis too…"
"Hum. Fine. Dark Land Navis, maybe exiles, are prowling around. They must want to try to put pressure into us. Or maybe someone found out what the General guy was after…"
"We should spread a rumor that it was stolen by Neo Gospel. Those rascals will do us a favor and blow those amateur spies up in our stead… Hmpf!" Omega shrugged.
"Dark Land asides… What about Westminster? What's their stake on things by now? Are they still beating around the bush? Or misled by the fake hints Opoulos spreads?"
"Rumors float around that it was a campaign set up by the current government to appeal to patriotism and get re-elected. About 20 idiots began a protest in front of it demanding to know how many taxpayers' money it took to set it up. The Bobbies dispersed them, of course. Really. Some people can be really stupid when they feel like it."
"Really. Some people have a terrible reality distortion field and come up with unbiased conspiracy theories… They must've taken MGS too literally, even." Vadous rolled his eyes.
"Sure thing. Like those who talk about Illuminate conspiracies… I think they took Biohazard 4 too literally…"
"Huh? Wasn't the cult group named "Los Iluminados"?" He recalled.
"It means "The Enlightened Ones", yeah… I think they're inspired by the Illuminati… I know. It gets really annoying."
"Let's switch topics. Did you help Iris with the updates?"
"Sure. At Trill's request, we added Lord of the Rings dwarves. They are NPCs and give out hints. They don't battle either."
"Excellent. We must teach Trill that battles aren't good things."
"Iris asked me to lend her a PKMN game and I gave her a DS and the Soul Silver game I had. I'd already completed it so I let it to them with the condition that they continue as it is and don't start a new game. Iris will watch out for that." Omega explained.
"Good. Trill's a child so he's at an age to play a lot of things. But make sure they're fitting for his age."
"Iris takes care of that."
"Good. Did Kir Osh say anything about that step-brother of his?"
"Nothing else's happened. Guess they gave up on trying using him to start a scandal. Since nobody pays heed to some random guy."
"OK. Did the "Committee" report if there was any connection between that mafia in Barcelona and Anaya?"
"There wasn't. Besides. Choina and Japanese mafias can't stand each other to begin with."
"You've got a point. Good. So it wasn't the witch's ploy…"
"The witch's busy enough trying to control some of the mafias here. Some Yakuza have been starting wars to take over the mafias too… They say Metropolitan Police dispatched a very competent veteran inspector named Kenmochi to handle things over there…"
"Kenmochi? Like the designer?"
"Ah yeah. There was such a designer, true…"
"Wait a minute. Inspector Kenmochi…? Coincidence…? There's a character in the manga series I'm reading named like that… Kenmochi Isamu… From the Kindaichi Case Files…" Vadous recalled.
"So maybe it's a fake…? But Kenmochi is a pretty usual surname, too, as far as I know… Should we look into it?"
"Could be. Maybe I'm being paranoid. Forget it."
"OK. No need to waste energies on that."
"Anyway… Anything else?"
"Ah! True, true. It'd seem Vincent's back to stuff."
"What? Vincent? Wasn't he mad by now?"
"Colonel Talos decided to visit him in person and he began to let it all out: that Cloud Man drops by with requests from Anaya and takes away all drinks but water so that he stays sober… He's led to believe they're also for the sake of his "General Campestre" so…"
"And what has he done insofar?"
"Infiltrate the Mexican drug cartels and manipulate them to meet in spots where there supposedly is a VIP who wants to buy stuff… They kill each other while he makes sure to vanish beforehand… Then Neo Gospel pick the drugs and sell them in California…"
"I see. That's how they get the money… Oh well. As long as they don't use him to impersonate someone we know…"
"Sure. Did you try out the Altair costume in MGS4?"
"Of course. I found it so fun that they included that. That, and the Solar Gun… Snake yelling "taiyo~!" the whole time makes me laugh so hard. Really. They sure put a lot of love into that."
"I'll later have a check around the outer shell to make sure nothing's attached to it. Kir Osh did the EVA but just to be on the safe side…"
"Good. I'll be going to my room. I need proper rest or Lartes will ground me for overworking. And he'd have a point, really."
"Yeah, Boss. Don't let those rascals rob you of your sleep."
Omega blinked him the right eye and Vadous smiled as he stood up and exited into the corridor.
"Fua~h… Need some proper rest!"
He entered a nearby room that had a desk, a chair, a bed, and a TV plus an adjacent bathroom; he sat down on the chair, and began to take out the pieces of his armor; once he'd finished he stood up with the remaining black briefs on: he headed for the bathroom and looked at the mirror above the sink while leaning his hands on the edges of it.
"Huff. I don't know what I hope to achieve by looking at me like this. Maybe it's some psychology in which I'll be a real human if body hair grows? Bah. I can always pretend I shaved it."
He remained like that for a minute or two and then shrugged to head back into the room.
"I worry too much. Like Omega says… Now's not the time for that. Like it matters… Let's focus on something else. Something positive. Maybe some classical music will do? Let's check the pile…"
He searched next to the TV a pile of music CDs but didn't seem to find one that appealed him: he rubbed his chin and frowned.
"Hmmm… My Beatles CD…? Ah! I lent it to Charles a couple days ago, true… Oh well. Maybe something else… Nah. Let's just go rest. Else, I'll get nervous and won't be able to properly sleep. Lartes is going to scold me or ignoring him…" He decided with a shrug.
"Boss? Are you going to sleep?" Omega called out from the outside.
"Yeah. Did something happen?"
"Oh no! Just checking. Call me paranoid, but I wanted to be sure."
"You're right. Yeah. Good night."
He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled the coverings: he remained in that position for a little while as if he'd gone back to thinking.
"… Let's hope nothing happens while I'm asleep… No, I don't think so. At the worst, some hit and run by the rascals… Little stuff… I should ignore that and prove it doesn't impress me by now."
He finally laid face-up on the bed and pulled the covers up to the neck while placing his hands behind his head: he stared at the dull metallic ceiling for the room for a while.
"… Judgment Day will eventually come… For those… This time… They won't be able to run away from their sins… I'll fulfill my goal… It won't go easily, obviously enough… Well! For now… Time to rest!"
Vadous finally fell asleep while forming a wide grin over his face…
THE END