Chapter 11

The Director's Chessboard

"You're still SO naïve, Niko!" she yelled after him, pocketing the chess piece/flash drive. She sighed and shook her head. "I told him things weren't the same..."

Gold put a supportive hand on her shoulder, "And apparently, things aren't the same for him. I think you too met up... Too quickly, and expected everything to be the same. It's gonna take time, Sapph, so don't fault yourself."

Sapphire nodded slightly. "You're right. Alright guys, back to the Insurgency."

Niko looked at his watch and brought up the data from the flash drive and looked it over.

"A master chess player, eh Sapphire?" Niko said. The Director wasn't the only guy who was a master chess player. Taking the data from all the flash drives, he saw something no one else did. He ran over to Sapphire.

"Sapph!" Niko called. "I have some info on those flash drives you might wanna hear! Call a meeting I want everyone to see this!"

In her office, Sapphire took off her helmet and shook her head. "I can't do that until this information is authorized by me. Standard protocols." She knew Niko hated rules and such, but he really needed to get used to them.

Niko shows her his discovery. He puts all the data from every drive collected and she sees a bunch of coordinates.

"These are chessboard designations." Niko said. "The Director's using us a chess pieces in a giant chess game! Watch what happens when I put in the data from the one we found tonight!"

Upon insertion, the data turns into a giant chessboard and all the ambush points show up as chess pieces as well as the places the Insurgency has defended.

"See?" Niko said proudly. "I saw this when I looked at all the coordinates. They're positions on a chessboard that coincide with the place where you've been ambushed! With the drive we found tonight, we can plan ahead like a chess master would. That of course you can safely leave up to me."

He saw he wasn't winning Sapphire over.

"Look I know I've been a dick, jumping into shit outta nowhere," Niko said pleadingly. "But you gotta let me be point for this one! I won't do anything like what I did tonight again, I swear! Just lemme lead you guys on this. I know chess and he's been playing us on his own personal Chessboard. I know you can't trust me, but you gotta try!"

Niko, still not getting his point across, does what Sapphire has only seen Niko do once, grovel and beg and kiss her feet. Sapphire realizes the only way to get Niko to stop is to try to trust him on this.

"Don't do that," Sapphire said quickly, bringing her armored foot up and kicking Niko in the face. She then barked a dry and humorless laugh. "A chess board. Leave it to him." She shook her head and looked at the now slightly injured Niko.

"Alright, you've got me," she told him, tilting her head to the side. "We can plan his attacks here. That'll mean we can avoid his next few attacks, and that'll give us more time." Sapphire sighed. "I'll reschedule the meeting of the Green and Black committee as soon as I can. You'll present your data, add no remarks, and be done with it. Do I make myself clear?"

Niko nodded and healed his broke nose and walked out, happy with himself. He just gave everyone an advantage and he hoped everyone can trust him with this. If not, they'd be going into planning blind and be ambushed again. Niko went to a data station and started fusing all the data together so he could save time. Suddenly he felt someone looking over his shoulder.

"Garnet?" Niko said. "What's up? Something wrong?"

Niko sighed after realizing he was looking at what he was working on.

"This is something I'll explain in time" Niko said. "But I'll tell you this much. It's gonna help us get ahead of the Director."

"Did you put this through Sapphire first?" Garnet asked, his voice almost doubtful.

Suddenly, over the intercom that broadcasted through the entire base, Sapphire's voice rang out. "Attention. In exactly two hours, the meeting of the Green Committee and the Black Committee will commence. That is all."

"Huh," Garnet started, "there's my answer."

Niko finishes up the work he's doing and walks towards to the meeting and sees rouge on the way.

"Rouge!" Niko shouted. Rouge flew over and perched on the windowsill.

"Niko." Rouge said. "What can I do for you, hun?"

"I just wanted to say thanks for helping me out." Niko replied. "I really appreciate it."

"It's no big, Niko. Rouge said modestly. "It's the least I can do after what I did to you. Speaking of which, have you see Shadow and Omega?"

"No." Niko said. "Well I'm on my way to show off our findings to the others. I want you to help me out."

Rouge was taken aback by this request and was only able to say, "Huh? Why?"

"Because you were the one who showed me the connections." Niko replied.

"Well, okay..." Rouge said in agreement and the two walked off side by side like two best friends.

Did you catch the other Kim Possible reference? Until next chappie! Take it easy guys!