Chapter 3

Discrete Location, Neo Neptune (no pictures please)

All the architecture on Neo Neptune looks rather similar. All storefronts along one side of the reflected street looked like something out of a story book. Anne Littner read such story books as a child with her mother and father. Something about faraway lands called "San Francisco" or "Brooklyn." That's what they looked like to Anne, the streets of "San Francisco" and "Brooklyn." Entire storefronts, houses, and offices all cramped together in multistory dark brick buildings. Steps would lead up to the doors of the buildings. Each building was very narrow, probably no more than 40 feet across the front.

The only thing that truly made these buildings stick out, was the neon signs. Their light buzzing would draw the attention of various Neptunian insects that behaved much like Earth insects, they followed the soft fluorescent sound, and promptly got zapped for it. If we peek in a discrete building's window, we can see this ordinary building is anything but. It houses some of the finest trained members in the galaxy. Anne Littner stood across from a large brown oak desk with Chief Gimmy and the Overseer - Darry. Arms behind her back, she was following the lead of her senior agents who'd stood by her side in the same pose. "Great work team." Gimmy sternly said. "Yes Chief!" they saluted in unison.

Anne was in the center. "Chief," she saluted with her right hand, "I'm very honored to be working alongside the revered Chief Gimmy and Inspector Darry. I look forward to numerous field missions in the very near future." "And you will," Darry reassured her, "Ever since I told Gimmy about your recent Galaxy Shooters Cup those many years ago, we knew we struck gold that day."

And struck gold they did. Three years prior to the Galactic Spiral Peace Conference, President Rossiu and his cabinet understood that like all governments, they could not always run with military might. The other Spiral Races would see this as a threat, that by flexing their technological muscles, they would establish themselves as the controlling race. It is through this seed of an idea that President Rossiu signed a classified executive order to form an Agency. One that would operate in the shadows for covert and high risk recon missions. Many of the office thought of names for the Agency, Gimmy and Darry only thought of one.

"The Gurren Lagann Agency!"

"It wasn't very long ago that we were formed in secrecy all those years ago. It was much harder recruiting you bozos throughout the galaxies," Gimmy joked. "Aw chief," Reza blushed, "You're too kind." The tension broke and now all six professionals in the room began to banter and joke, ignoring all military code and etiquette. Reza rested his hands around Anne's shoulders, ignoring all personal space. "Aw Rook," he smiled at her as he pulled her in closer with his arm. He threw his hand up and waved it across the air, letting Anne focus on the hand. "Galactic Badass Sniper, The Rook, ANNE LITTNER!" he announced.

Anne blushed and let out an elated smile as the rest of her teammates patted her on the back. Anne was normally cold and callous, in normal day situations, she kept a stern face and strutted with her chest out. The boys in the academy liked this, as her cleavage would always make them blush as she walked around. It's not everyday that a female, top of her class in the academy, would be a total smoking hot blonde babe. It was probably due to her mother's genetics. "Kiyoh," Darry snapped her out of her camaraderie with her new team, "Your mother Kiyoh and Dayakka, have you talked to them recently?"

Anne had a soft spot for two things in the universe so far. First, her team, she was making fast friends with them and immediately upon joining, she respected all the members. Secondly, her parents, who gave her to motivation and drive to achieve anything she wanted to. She graduated top of her class at the first graduating Gurren Lagann Agency Academy. "Yes," she replied, "I talked to mom and dad every week when I was at the academy, there were P-Comms always around the Marmota."

The training facility, Marmota, a battleship class Gunmen that would take an 8 year journey through space to reach Gurren Lagann Agency's home base, the planet of Neo Neptune. This state of the art facility was meant to be an academy cruise ship of sorts. The facility was equipped with state of the art training. Simulated sparring arenas for Gunmen, Grapearl, and ground fighting. Shooting ranges that stretched more than the eye can see. Classrooms that would teach the universe around them - because you never knew when that knowledge would help. When Anne referred to the P-Comms, she was referring to the Perception Communication Network. A quantum speed of light network to link people together across the universe in real-time. She spoke to her parents every week like this.

"The difficult part has been getting you out of Dayakka and Kiyoh's arms the day you went to the academy," Darry reminisced, "I know how Kiyoh and Dayakka would feel. Their little girl, training for 8 years on a space boat, going on dangerous missions that they can't know about." Darry took a look at Anne and envied her youthful appearance, "But look on the bright side," she scanned Anne from head to toe. "Space's gravity has been mighty kind to the aging process." Yes, the Perception Teleportation Transit was instantaneous, it got people from one end to the universe at faster than light speed, but if Anne reached Neo Neptune and had no training, then what?

Anne thought about it for a second as she looked at the reflection in the mirror. "Guess you can count that I still act like a 17 year old too," She thought. "Guess that's the price I pay, I'm 25 years old this year, but my body hasn't aged a bit. And for 8 years, I lived, breathed, and ate my training regiment. Is reintegrating me back into society going to make me normal again or something?" Anne thought a lot in her head, but her team, and friends had other plans.

"Drinking time!" Reza announced. Noda, Sylveria, and Gimmy pumped their fist. Darry looked at Gimmy with a glare, he wasn't supposed to drink, he could feel the unease from his twin sister bore right into him. "Ahem," Darry bossed, "I think we still have other matters to attend to." Gimmy just then remembered the special "assignment" for Anne. "Ah yes," Gimmy cleared his throat, "Team, you guys are free to go, except you Anne." The rest of the teammates left the room with sly smiles on their face. Anne had a smile for already being trusted for more assignments, but she didn't know the mission.

She was a little jealous her team got to go out and have a drink, this would have been a perfect time to reconnect with Noda, they knew each other as kids. Reza and Sylveria were strangers as they came from different planets, but being one of the only other female field agents on the team, Sylveria and her hit it off, even though the giant lizard woman didn't speak much. Reza on the other hand shared a connection because both of them were firearm users, Reza apparently has a thing for firearms.

"If you're wondering why we won't let you go drinking," Darry started, "It's because Kiyoh specifically told me, 'As long as that girl still looks 17, there is no way she's going into ANY bars.'" Anne inside felt abashed. "After all this time," she thought, "You still treat me like a kid?" But that wasn't important right now, she was curious, there was this "special assignment" that the two leaders mentioned, Anne was always on board for more field work. "I am ready Chief Gimmy, Inspector Darry," she said respectfully. "Whatever the assignment may be, I'm ready to carry it out 100%. Although I do admit." She hesitated. "The team is out having a good time and it's just going to be me with 'ol Lady Luck." She patted her rifle, signalling that's what she called her gun, Lady Luck. "What could the assignment be that you guys have the confidence that I can handle it on my own?" Both Gimmy and Darry smiled.

GUARD DUTY!

"Are you serious!?" Anne flailed her arms wildly. She was transported somewhere derelict. Not remote, but she was in front of, what looked like an old office building. The buildings neon signs have long been non-operational, the foundation and walls cracked along, and the five story building had so many windows that have been filthy for what seemed like decades. "What exactly am I guarding here!?"

"Don't ask, don't tell." Gimmy's voice spoke in her head. She got angry at this thought of him keeping her in the dark. "Mom and dad put you up to this, is that it?" She thought all the possibilities of why she was assigned such a task. It wasn't as if she was very far away from the main office, she was probably two streets down. Away from civilization to be declared derelict, but close enough that the team could easily go into this building should the need arise. Anne sat close by the rusted metal door main entrance of the building, resting her rifle against her shoulder. Eight years on board the Marmota. Eight years of training. Eight years of looking 17 throughout. All just so that she could plant her butt on the concrete floor and rest her back against the uncomfortable ridges of the building exterior. "Guess this is going to be a boring night."

"HERE!" Big Mama stuck a knife into a large city map blueprint. The paper was yellowed, it was an old map. "This here, is the place we need to get into." "What in there?" Coco asked. "Don't ask, don't tell." Patience was wearing thin on Lieutenant Scourge who very much didn't enjoy sitting around. "We've wasted enough time here boy, your job is clear." Scourge slammed his fist on the table and pointed at the knife which pointed to a large office building outline. "You need to break into here, from the underground. You check out the coast is clear, PROPERLY this time." Coco rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, but Scourge wasn't his friend to joke around. "Once it's clear, you open the doors so we can get our trucks in, and we get out. Failure to do any of this results in me personally coming over and taking you out of your misery."

Coco wasn't stupid, he looked at Lieutenant Scourge, he was a man twice, maybe even three times his size in muscle mass easily. "Alright then," Coco agreed, "Then I guess I should get started." Coco covered up his face with his red cape, he brought out his drill and aimed down inside the warehouse they were in. Big Mama waved her finger, "None of your drilling nonsense in here, you'll ruin the floor." "Then how do I?" "Latrine!" Big Mama snapped immediately back, "Go outside in the back. NOW!"

"Oh this is disgusting!" Coco thought aloud as he was sifting through a tunnel that ran perpendicular to the outhouse latrine the gangsters used. He was prone, crawling around, nose depp and sloshing through who knows what. "Need to find….soil!" he tried to hold his breath as long as he could, but the smell was pungent. When he couldn't stand it anymore, he aimed his drill in another direction and began drilling. "Just remember Coco," he assured himself, "Old man taught you, the only way to go...is forward." He struggled to think, it smelled awful in that tunnel. "And if there is no path, carve it down yourself."

'Hear the dirt, hear the soil'. 'Go this way' it will say. 'Go that way'. 'The dirt is softer here'. These thoughts resonated in Coco's head as he continued drilling. By no means was digging tunnels a more manageable way to travel, but it was Coco's way. He learned long ago that the quickest path is not always a straight line, but the path that the earth guides you towards, the path you make yourself. Directions were fuzzy for people who normally took to the tunnels, but for Coco, it was his only map. The dirt and earth told him how to reach his destination and how to get there. He would hear noises, signs of electrical buzzing, signs of water pressure, each distinct sound would drive him to make the appropriate path choice to find what he was looking for.

And find it he did. Coco looked up, began drilling right away, and before he knew it, a hole appeared above him. He peeked his head out, "I guess this is the place." It was very cluttered. He looked around, old gunmen, lots of crates, tarps over things hanging off the ceiling. The building had an open floor plan. Other than the catwalks that lined the far ends of the walls, everything you needed to see in this building was out in the open. It's no wonder this building is deserted, who would suspect a derelict office building to house what seems like an endless supply of weaponry for some type of organization?

Coco walked cautiously around the building, tiptoeing as he pulled off his cape off his mouth now that he was out of the tunnel. He saw the loading doors, he would open them after he made sure the coast is clear. Then and only then would the gangsters let him go and he could continue living the poor, carefree life that he always wanted to. He checked carefully this time, behind every crate, behind every tarp, but when he reached the center of the room, he saw something. A red gigantic combined gunmen, it's face was distinctive, it's chest bore what looked like dark sunglasses. "Gurren Lagann!?" It's reputation is well known. "This is Gurren Lagann!" he excitedly jumped, "This is the REAL GURREN LAGANN!"

Coco saw Gurren Laganns and Grapearl units fly into the sky when he was younger. On those silent days when he scavenged for cocowalnuts, he would bring the only thing he had in his possession, a drill, and crack them open as he drank the delicious cocowalnut juice while watching the mecha fly in spiral formation in the night sky. He always wanted to go to the stars, and with the Perception Teleportation Transit, he did so, but it was expensive. He wanted to pilot a Gurren Lagann, a Grapearl, he wanted to be one with the stars. But now he was a thief. He had dreams of flying high into space, but the reality was, he was a thief. The thought discouraged him a bit, but he focused and began to question, "If this is Gurren Lagann, what is this pl-"

Ping…

Coco heard what seemed like glimmer off a very shiny object, his instincts dictated him to duck. BLAM! He was right, the first shot was from an armor piercing electric pulse rifle aimed at him. He was unaware how close he came to becoming blood and guts. The bullet loudly ricocheted off the hard cement floor. "That was a warning shot," the shooter spoke, "I thought this was going to be a boring night, a boring assignment." The woman's face reflected off the bright moonlight that beamed its' way into the compound. Coco got a good look, she flicked her hair back, revealing her clean young face. It sparkled white in Coco's eyes. Thankfully, the woman had her curvaceous biker bodysuit zipped up to not show off too much of her figure.

Coco nervously stumbled on his words as he spoke. He had literally never spoken to any decent looking girl who would engage in any sort of social interaction with him. It was rather embarrassing actually. Coco back at the village would either follow his old man around, or continue drilling tunnels. When he got out, it was usually dark and all the girls had usually gone in. This would be his first experience with one, the situation was rather awkward. "H-H-H-Hey," he nervously stumbled, "Listen, you're a girl and-"

"WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN!?"

"Well I just, my old man says to like never fight girls and-" "Oh," she trained her sights next on Coco's lower extremities, "So you're one of THOSE kind of men eh?" She cocked her bolt of her rifle back. "How about I even the odds and make you a girl too!?" Anne locked onto her sights with her steely cold eyes and the ignition in her pulse rifle sparked another armor piercing bullet his way. In a panic, Coco nervously ducked, and instead of being that other word that ends in ducked, he ended up falling in luck. His arm drill was at the perfect height and material that it once again ricocheted another bullet off of Anne Littner's rifle, and somehow found its' way lodged into the ignition system of her electrical rifle.

Anne flicked her eyes open. Surprise hit her when she realized that this dirty punk decided to break and enter, chastise her equality as a woman in the battlefield, and finally he did the one thing no one else managed to do: he dodged her bullet and he broke her rifle. Anne was furious.

"Ok you turd stinker," she insulted as the wind blew to her direction. Coco realizing that he was just through a septic system blushed uncontrollably at leaving such a terrible impression with the woman. "I swear, I was just going through the septic system." "Are you a Dungian mixed breed of some sort?" Coco scratched his head. "Beetle-like animal, from the planet Tropicus, they stink like you and look ugly to boot." "HEY!" Coco teared up a bit, "GIRLS ARE SO MEAN!?" he thought to himself. "Doesn't matter what you are, rifle or no rifle, you're going down."

Anne jumped from the second floor catwalk. Coco looked at her land perfectly. He nervously gritted his teeth as he saw her cold look rush up to him. Right hook to his cheek on his face. It hurt, she followed up with another left hook to set him upright, he ate it once again on his other cheek. She delivered a straight kick directly to his solar plexus, he grunted as the impact pushed him back. "Please stop," he begged as he adjusted some propulsors on his arm drill and aimed it at her. "PLEASE STOP!" He shot the air directly at her, the pressure was high, it blew Anne to the far wall, where her back collided with a crate. The impact of the crate gave one little surprise as Anne's cleavage popped right open.

PWHOOSH!

Coco's nose shot up blood into the air at the sight of her pressed together chest. He fainted briefly as she shook her head from the impact. There was only one thing Anne could conclude. "He's good," she seriously assessed, "Who is he working for? The Anti-Human Revolution? A local gang? A PMC? Who? In any case, I can't risk failing this mission, I know it was Chief and Inspector's way of babying me, but he's become a serious threat. I'm going to call backup."

"Chief," she pressed her inner earpiece, "I need backup, problem at the compound." "Roger that!" Gimmy responded. "You can't escape," she told Coco, "My team is coming, and either you turn yourself in, or you just let me beat you senseless so you CAN go in." "Please," Coco begged, "I'm really not looking for a fight, some gangsters they're forci-" "SHUT UP!" Anne impulsively snapped, "You're going down, AHHHHH!" Anne charged head on towards him, bent over and a fist above her head, feeling the energy build up as she charged it while she was running.

Coco suddenly saw it all in slow motion, he turned around quickly and ran the other direction, the cape inadvertently whipping up as the air picked it up. Anne kept rushing in, "Wearing capes? Bad move." Anne caught up with Coco, using her free hand, she grabbed his cape...but he forgot to fasten it over his neck, making Anne tear the cape right off and drape over her, blinding her from seeing anything and smelling the remnants of sewage on his cape. "It reeks," she thought as she turned green. Concerned, Coco turned around and accidentally used his wrong arm to catch the mummified Anne, his drill arm. In a panic, not seeing anything, Anne tried to grab the first thing she could for support, but ended up pressing a button on his arm drill. The drill got caught on the cape and spun Anne around laterally. She was literally in a spin cycle under the sheets. The combination of a shit infested cape, a spin cycle, and Anne's motion sickness were enough to make her change many colors. In a quick frantic search for the manual override kill switch to his arm drill, Coco pressed it. The momentum from Anne's spinning and the sudden stop of motion tossed her off like a rag doll.

Anne skidded on the concrete floor. Her skin avoided major scrapes due to her specially made biker suit - made of extremely fibrous material that could resist many high impact scrapes and bumps. Coco knew the calvary would arrive soon, he heard it, he frantically grabbed his cape and began to shimmy himself into the hole where he drilled out of. Before he left, he took one last look. The sleeping beauty, Anne Littner, lay on the floor face down, visibly knocked out. His conflicted head and heart fighting as they decided what the most moral thing to do would be. He dipped his head down, then quickly changed his mind and brought his head back up. "Who am I kidding?" he chided himself as he walked over to the unconscious body of Anne, "Hey...hey…" he flipped her around and began shaking her. "Are you okay!? HEY!" He yelled louder to bring her back to the land of consciousness.

Anne slowly peered her eyes open, twitching her lips as she woke up and tried to assess what just happened. "Oh man," Coco blushed at her radiant face, "She's way too pretty to be a soldier. Just who is she?" Anne affixed her dazed eyes on Coco, not quite getting the smell of feces out of her nose. Her vision cleared up as she looked at the young faced, pointy chinned, brown cowlick hair spewing thief. "He's not a Dungian," she thought to herself, "Human, he looks human, he reminds me of someone. But who?"

"URK!" Coco placed his hand over his left side of his neck. He pulled out a dart. "Night night," he drooled as he fell face first. Sylveria's anesthetic poison darts struck him as she, Noda, and Reza knelt down close to Anne. "You okay Rook?" Noda asked. "Yeah." she replied, not wanting to say anymore. "Just what the hell happened over here?" Reza looked around at broken crates, a broken rifle, and lots of debris everywhere. Anne looked sternly at the sleeping Coco, still drooling in his sleep.

"Don't ask, don't tell."