Thanks again to my Betas, CajunBear and the Sentinel, for their rapid response to this. It makes it a lot easier to post when the proofed copy comes back in a timely manner
Chapter 31 Revelations Actions and Reactions
When the emergency lights came on, Wade knew he had problems. Every single one of the locks in the underground base used a passcard instead of keys, with a PIN pad as a secondary to the reader. The only saving grace was if they were operating according to protocols, except for the high security doors, they should automatically go into a default open setting to allow the base personnel to escape if they needed. The secure sections would operate differently. They would work one-way, letting Agents out of the area, but not back in until the power was restored.
He finished his climb to the Administration level and tried to pull the door open. It wouldn't budge. The thought of 'That's not right!' flashed through his mind. Then he noticed something else that was strange. The passcard reader for the door was still active. That meant the security systems were still up and running.
"All right!" He pulled his pass card and swiped it through the reader, entering his PIN. Red Light. Any Agent's passcard, let alone Wade's, should have worked for this door. He tried again, same result. He wasn't about to try again because the primary definition of insanity is continuing to try something repeatedly and expecting a different result. He had two choices now. He could try and hack the door and maybe every door between him and Betty's office or he could start the three hundred meter climb to the surface.
Try the easy way first. Reaching into a pouch at his back, he pulls out his Kimmunicator. This one was different then the rest of the Teams. It was his personal one and had a lot more power and a lot more functions than the rest of them. He pulled up a schematic of the base and found this particular stairwell would bring him out about a mile from the garage.
As good a shape as Sagara had whipped him into, he didn't relish the thought of climbing 300 meters of stairs then running for a mile. But he looked at the door again and thought, 'This is Du's work. So what would I do after cutting the power and locking all the doors? First thing I would do is to try to grab what I can, then escape through a secure route. That means he's either going down to the high security area or already there.'
He looked back at the card scanner. He had helped design the scanners to be hack proof. If you entered the wrong code three times in a row, the onboard flash memory would wipe itself putting the door in a lock-down status. That meant he couldn't brute force the code, and he didn't have enough data to finesse it. And with the combination using 6 to 10 digit's the possibilities were in the billions. He had no choice.
Wade came to a quick decision. He pulled the flash drive that had the evidence on it and loaded it into his Kimmunicator. He was glad that for once, someone didn't take his advice about computer systems. Maybe there was something to be said about non-integrated systems. While the voice and video links might be down, the text and email systems were on a different set of servers and should still be running.
He set the Kimmunicator to try and send the data and an idea to get the base running again to Betty's PDA as an email every thirty seconds until it was received and opened. With the text messaging for the cells working it should go through as long as the cell system didn't get overloaded.
Next, while he couldn't do a lot from here, there was something he could do. Using the Kimmunicator, he tapped into the vault and erased ALL the codes. He couldn't replace them, but he could erase then. They would have to go back and reinitialize and reinstall the codes later. But for now, it would stop anyone from getting into the secure storage.
Hopefully GJ would have the computer servers back up soon. In the meantime, he had to get to someone who could stop and capture the slime that had caused this disaster. He started up the stairs at a slower pace than he was going before. This was going to be a long climb.
**********
The coldly arrogant, yet handsome youth left the educational center and headed to his dorm. While all of the residents of the half-way house were minor criminals, he was in a class by himself. None of them had involved themselves with a supervillain. He had been charged with some of the same classes of crime they had been, from assault to conspiracy to commit assault, unlike the rest he had also faced the possibility of an espionage. Only the counsel of his former school had prevented that one.
While the authorities felt his crimes required punishment, the Judicial system didn't feel that they warranted time in a maximum security prison either. Instead he was sent here, a half-way house whose program was designed to give first time offenders a second chance.
As he walked through the grounds, he felt the eyes upon him. The eyes of the other inmates held a variety of looks, ranging from fear and awe to distain and derision. As he passed out of sight of the other residents, he still felt something watching him. You don't go as far as he had in his former school and not be able to do at least that. He stopped and looked around himself.
Not seeing anyone or anything out of the ordinary, he knew what it had to be. He called out, "You may as well show yourself, I know you're there!" With a rustle and thump another handsome young man appeared beside him carrying a long bag over his shoulder. Seeing who it was, he snorted and said, "Humph! And to what do I owe the honor of this visit, Taka-chan!" (A.N. In this context, using the suffix Chan on a male over the age of about 12 is nearly a mortal insult.)
"It certainly wasn't my wish, Traitor! But I have my orders. I am here to deliver a message."
"HAHAHAHA! So the great Hirotaka has been reduced to messenger boy. That almost makes what has happened to me worth it!"
"You misunderstand, Shima-chan! I was chosen to deliver the message because Sensei felt I was one of the few he could trust not to kill you on sight rather then carrying out his orders. Tanaka Yori-san especially would like to have the honor of spilling you life's blood."
"And what is this oh so important message."
Reaching into a pocket inside the lining of his gi, Hirotaka pulled out a traditionally folded letter with a four Kanji on the outside. Two were the signature of the headmaster of his former school. The last two were very formal, old fashioned ones that simply said, Shōkan or Redemption.
Seeing the Kanji his eyes widened. He growled, "If this is meant to be a joke, then you are even more of a Buffoon than the outsider was."
The arrogant young man could see his former childhood friend didn't like this anymore than he did. "It is no joke. I have been given the authority to tell you, if you accept this mission and carry it out honorably, you will be admitted back onto the rolls of the school."
Not trusting the offer and still thinking it was some kind of trap or joke, he asked, "Why me? There are dozens of students at the school, you included Sensei could call upon!"
"Because whether I like or not, while you have acted dishonorably, you are still the best swordsman of our generation. And this mission requires nothing but the best."
Narrowing his eyes, the former student opened the letter. Inside was a second page. Both were written by the same hand with such care, they were almost calligraphy. The first was in the ancient Kanji forms and the second in English. And both said the same thing.
To go to America and train someone he hated in the use of Kenjutsu: The Art of the Sword. The Katana, Wakizashi, Naginata, and Yari. Upon successful completion of this task he would have shown himself to have regained honor and would be offered re-admittance into the School.
He screamed at his former friend, "DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS SAYS?!"
Hirotaka answered calmly, "Hai."
"Sensei cannot possibly be serious!"
"He is quite serious. The Chosen One has trainers for everything from hand-to-hand Combat to Firearms. What he needs and does not have is a Sword master. You were better than any of us with edged weapons; therefore you should be the one to go."
He unslung the bag he was carrying and held it to the other saying, "This contains all the Bokutō you need except for the shafts to the Naginata and Yari. You will be able to obtain the shafts locally. (Bokutō Blunted wooden training swords)
The arrogant young man took the bag, unzipped it, and looked inside to see several types of wooden swords. Hirotaka pulled another thick envelope from the folds of his gi and passed it to his former friend. "This contains your plane tickets, identification, funds, and housing arrangements. If you accept, you are to leave within 24 hours. May I tell Sensei that you accept the mission?"
The arrogant young man looked at the letter from Sensei again, then turned his eyes to the other and simply said "Hai, I accept."
"Very well." As he turned to leave, Hirotaka looked back at the man holding the bag and said, "Understand something else, Fukushima-san. This is a message, not from Sensei, but from Tanaka Yori-san and me. If you attempt to harm The Chosen One outside of training, we will find out. And we will kill you! Slowly and Painfully! But if acquit yourself on this mission, while I doubt either of us will ever fully trust you again, we will at least treat you with the respect we did before your dishonorable actions."
'Outside of training, neh?' thought Youku Fukushima
**********
She stood on the firing line looking at the target she had sent downrange to about 9 meters. (about 30 ft) She had the Ruger in a underarm shoulder holster and two extra magazines in a belt pouch. She drew the Ruger, locked the slide back and pulled the ready mag from her back pocket. Keeping the weapon pointed down, she slapped the clip home and released the slide lock, chambering the first round of the first handgun to be registered in her name.
The day after the reading of Roger's will, she had gone to see Dr. Director about getting a carry permit and having the weapon registered. The woman surprised her by merely reaching into her desk drawer and pulling out the permit card with her picture on it and forms for the Ruger. All Kim had to do was fill in the serial number and sign in a few places and that fast, she was legal to carry the gun anywhere.
Betty informed her that as an authorized GJ Agent, she, like the rest of the Team except for Wade who was underage, was authorized to carry anywhere. This included buildings and locations that would normally be excluded such as hospitals, libraries, and courthouses. They would all fall under the laws pertaining to law enforcement personnel.
She looked down the line again, sighting the target. Shifting her right foot back and raising the pistol in a two handed grip, she squeezed the trigger. Right through the X ring. She didn't know what it was, but with the Ruger, it was just like Sagara had said. It was just like pointing your finger.
The 9MM Ruger didn't feel like the Glocks, Brownings or Smiths Sagara had in the Armory. They felt like Guns. But the Ruger felt different, like her old hair dryer grappler. It felt like a tool. A deadly one to be sure, but it felt like a tool she was in full control of.
She fired of the rest of the clip with measured squeezes of the trigger and every round passed through the target at center mass.
She ejected the spent magazine, safed the Ruger and brought the target forward. She set it aside and gathered four more targets and sent them down the line to different distances on all of the lanes. She was about to do something she had seen Sagara, Kaname and Wade do. When the targets were in place she pulled one of the magazines from the pouch and reloaded the weapon.
Another deep breath and she jerked the Ruger up and started firing as fast as she could squeeze the trigger.
Target, Center mass BOOM, Center mass BOOM, Head BOOM!
Next target, Center mass BOOM, Center mass BOOM, Head BOOM!
Next Center mass BOOM, Center mass BOOM, Head BOOM!
Next Center mass BOOM, Center mass BOOM, Head BOOM!
Next Center mass BOOM, Center mass BOOM, Head BOOM!
She fired until the slide locked to the rear. In one motion, she ejected the clip, drew the next, reloaded and released the slide and re-engaged the targets. Lather, rinse, repeat!
When the slide locked back this time, she was breathing as hard as if she had gone 5 rounds with Sagara. Ejecting the clip, she set the Ruger down and brought the targets forward.
Counting the holes she found that of the thirty rounds she had fired, only three on the first target, probably the first three she fired were not exactly where she wanted to place them. They would have still hit the target, but they were outside the X rings. Still, twenty-seven out of thirty wasn't bad for her first time with the Ruger.
Looking back at the Ruger laying on the shelf, she thought, 'Maybe I could get used to this.'
**********
He didn't know what happened, but something had gone wrong. He had initiated the lockout and entered part of the secure storage. He loaded a copy of several blueprints of other super weapons on to a flash drive. He finished and walked to the vault to get the Pan Dimensional Vortex Inducer when the code failed to open the door.
He must have tried it half a dozen times before he gave up. He didn't have a choice if he wanted to escape. He walked to the lift tube, swiped his card, and punched in his password into the PIN pad and a wave of relief passed over him as he stepped into the tube for the last time.
**********
After the last few weeks, the anger, frustration, and depression had crept deep into his psyche. So for now, rather then working out, Ron sat in the Dojo in the seiza position, deep in meditation; working through the darker emotions boiling up with in him.
Empty the mind, clear the thoughts, breathe in, hold, breathe out, hold, in, out, the cramp in his calf didn't matter, the tickle of sweat tracing down the side of his neck didn't exist. When he had finally he had driven all thought, feeling, sensation from his mind, he started to hear a name.
"Stoppable-san."
He ignored it for the peace of emptiness, but it came again.
"Stoppable-san."
Breathe. Within the depths of his mind he sat, alone in a formless void. Gradually form and shape replaced the void.
Just breathe. A rock appeared beneath him, a dry streambed beneath the rock, trees lining the streambed, a cliff behind him, water starting to fill the stream.
Breathe in. Above the cliff the streambed continued higher up the mountain until it was out of sight.
Breathe out. A glacier formed high up on the mountain.
Still Ron ignored everything. Until a torrent of water from the glacier fed stream poured over him from above.
"UUUUAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!" Ron instinctively leapt forty feet to the side to land in the meadow beside the stream dripping wet.
"While your mastery of the techniques of meditation have dramatically improved, Stoppable-san, I need to impart some things to you."
"Dddddddid ya haaaaaave to mmmmmmake it so ccccccccold?! That wwwwwwwater was ffffffffreezing!"
A warm breeze flowed across the meadow warning him as it dried his clothes. A wavering image started to form front of him. Red and gold robes, white mustache and beard with a white top knot. "Greetings Stoppable-san"
Ron put his hands together in front of him and bowed, greeting the ancient Master. "Sensei." Ron looked around at the meadow, took a breath, closed his eyes, and concentrated.
Sensei looked around at the image of the mountain meadow he had imposed onto Ronald Stoppable's mindscape wavered into a copy of the Dojo Ron was currently kneeling in. The two images overlapped as each struggled for dominance. He concentrated harder trying to enforce his vision rather then Ronald's. For a timeless interval they struggled until finally, by unspoken agreement the image resolved back into a featureless void.
Sensei was a cool and collected as Ron was panting with sweat flowing down his face. "Excellent, Stoppable-san. You have successfully prevented me from imposing my will here, within your mind. You have come farther then I believed."
Panting Ron said, "But I couldn't force my will here either."
"Stoppable-san, at the risk of sounding conceited, there are few people in the world that could have defeated me as you just did. I have had nearly a century to train my mind and while you might not have been able to force me out, neither could I force my way further in. That is an accomplishment by itself. Keep working on your techniques and they will stand you in good stead."
Ron was still a bit peeved at the drenching he had received, "So what so important ya had to douse with ice water?"
Not letting Ron's simmering emotions affect him, Sensei answered, "I wanted to inform you that I am sending you a Swordmaster. Possible-san and Sagara-kun are excellent trainers, but both lack the skill of Kenjutsu you will need. He should arrive within 48 hours."
His head came up as he looked into the distance of the void and said, "Now, I believe you should return, because someone is coming with an urgent matter for your attention."
"Huh? What?" Then Ron heard a voice calling his name from within the Dojo.
"ROOOONN?!"
**********
The woman with the eye patch was scrambling trying to figure out what was happening. First the power fails something that should have been almost impossible what with not one, not two, but three redundant power systems. Then the security system not only doesn't work right, it locks everyone down, completely against protocol.
She had been reduced to using sound powered phones, called a gertude, to try and coordinate recovery efforts. This wasn't supposed to happen. Millions of dollars spent into making the base the most secure law enforcement facility only to have it backfire like this. Since the problem seemed to be the computer systems, the first thing she ordered was to try rebooting them to no avail.
While that was happening, she used another gertude line to call topside, telling the guards to stand ready to repel an assault. For all the good it would do. Without the computer and sensor systems running, they were completely defenseless.
She was nearly at her wits end when the insistent paging from her PDA sitting on her desk got on her last nerve. She had ignored it for the last hour in her efforts to get things back under control. But it kept pinging trying to get her attention. Finally having enough, she grabbed the PDA to open the message. Maybe that would stop the damn thing. "If this is some God Damned spam email……."
'betty, found mole. will du. evidence in attachment. think base problem is sabotage caused by du. best bet shut down servers format HDD, write HDD to 0's and reinstall system. trapped in stairwell 5. will climb out and get team to stop du. betty evidence points to du in rogers murder. there's no doubt. load out.'
She started flipping through the pages of the attachment. The years of duplicity was revealed. Instantaneous fury. "OH FUCK! FUCK ME RUNNING!" She nearly threw the PDA into the wall. It was only the fact it was one of her few means of communications that allowed her to shove it into a pocket.
But the fury couldn't be contained. She grabbed the side of her desk and with surprising strength tossed it aside. "YOU BASTARD!" She grabbed a chair, the same chair Will Du had sat in two days ago when she reassigned him back to tracking Gemini, and started smashing it against the overturned desk.
Her psyche screamed to more wanton destruction, but she had a helpless, crippled organization to fix. And if Sheldon attacked before she could at least have them ready to defend themselves, it was over.
First the security systems. She ran back into the Control Center to see the eyes of her Agents looking at her aghast. They never saw such a display of anger from her before. And they didn't want to see it again.
She grabbed the gertude line to Comp Center. "Dwyer, shut the system down, format the hard-drives, and write them to zeros. Then reinstall the system from the backups."
"Ma'am, that could take hours!"
She screamed into the gertude "Listen to me, shut them down. Completely! I don't care if you have to take a fire ax to the servers, but shut them down!"
On the other end of the line the tech in charge of 'Comp Center' wasn't about to destroy the hardware, but for what the Commander wanted, it wasn't necessary. Pointing at a couple of her assistants, she said, "You two, start pulling the Ethernet connections and power plugs." pointing to another pair, she said, "You two are gonna start disconnecting the hard-drives and pulling RAM. Now go!"
After they moved out, she turned to an old fashioned safe and started turning the dial. Once it was open, she pulled out a set of OLD 5 and a quarter inch floppy disks and a stack of CDs. Seeing what she had in her hand the last of the techs said, "Uh, Ma'am, we haven't used those in years because they're full of bugs."
"I know! But they work! As soon as they have the servers disconnected, we're gonna start reloading the system from the ground up. Grab that old 486 from storage. This is gonna take awhile, so let's get busy.
Back in the Control Center, Betty switched to another line, this one to the hangar, and issued orders for the pilots of her newly formed Bonta-kun units to man their machines. She divided her twenty-five BK's into five squads of 4, with a sixth squad of five. After ordering them to full load-outs of both lethal and non-lethal armaments, she sent the five squads to different locations throughout topside portion of the base for defense. The last she kept in reserve as a Ready Reaction Force.
When she finished giving her orders, she tried to think, 'What else?' Something about Wade's message kept pinging in the back of her mind. She pulled it out and reread the message. It took a second for it to click. The last line chilled her blood. 'betty evidence points to du in rogers murder. there's no doubt. load out.'
"Oh Hell!" Her mind went into overdrive. 'Stoppable will kill him. And the way she is now, Possible might not try to prevent it. And Load might even try to help him. FUUUUUUUCCCCK! We need him alive."
She had one, maybe two chances. She started typing a new text message to the only two people that had a chance of stopping a rampaging Monkey Master and his Mate. "Let's hope this works!"
**********
Ron came back to the Dojo to see very grim Wade, breathing hard, but still standing. Kim entered at a run after hearing Wade hollering. Rom asked, "Wade, buddy, what's up?"
He was panting when he said, "I know who did it, Ron! I know who tried to blow you up! I know who killed Roger!"
**********
Twenty minutes later Ron was busy loading his IBA with smoke, stun, and frag grenades. He was also filling pouches with clips for the Desert Eagle .50 and the smaller Glock .40. He had removed the SAPI Plates to lighten the armor and make it more flexible. He would be relying mostly on speed, agility, and shock to get to his target. The Lotus Blade was in the shape of a Tanto in a sheath down the back of the armor.
Kim entered the armory, startling Ron by saying "Ron, we need to talk."
Ron whirls pulling the Glock. Realizing it's Kim, he replaces it saying "What's to talk about? You've been pretty clear about what you think about what's gonna happen."
She was standing there in mission gear. "We need to talk, because I'm going with you."
"No, you're not!"
"Yes, I am!"
Ron spoke with an anguished voice, "Kim, I'm not going after him to give him a beat down and a trip to jail."
"I know."
"You…you know? If you know that, then you know why you can't go."
Tears had started down her cheeks, "I don't care, I'm going. I swore that I would never let you down again, so I'm going. If for no other reason, then to watch your back, I'm going"
"Kim, I can't let you do this. You're staying."
Kim slipped into a very defensive stance. "Then I guess you've got fight on your hands sooner then you thought. Cause the only way you're leaving me behind is to kick my ass."
"Kim, I can't do that."
"Good, then it's settled, I'm going."
"Dammit Kim, NO!"
"Ron, these people have tried to kidnap Wade, terrorized his parents, killed Roger, tried to kill the rest of your family, and put you, me and Sagara in hospital. I'm going."
"K.P. please stay here."
"No, Ron"
Ron could see it in her eyes. The only way he was going to be able to leave her behind was to knock her out. That meant hand to hand, because there was no way she would let him near the non-lethal weapons long enough to take her down. And he just couldn't do it.
"Alright Kim."
"Promise me."
"Kim?"
"You heard me. Promise me."
A small smile appeared and Ron said, "I promise I won't try to stop you."
A red blur slammed into him. They just held each other for a few minutes, then Ron said. "If you're going, you need protection. Let's get your armor."
Kim declined additional weapons other then the old Ruger P89 on an underarm shoulder holster and two extra mags. She did load up on flash-bangs, smoke grenades and a couple of titanium Escrima sticks. Her pistol was a last resort, but she had no qualms about either knocking the bad guys senseless or choking them out. In the small of her back she was also carrying two extra mags each for Ron's Desert Eagle and Glock.
As soon as they were loaded they climbed the stairs to the garage where they got another shock.
**********
When they got ready to climb into the Galaxie, they found Wade in the center of the back seat with his seatbelt on and an assortment of electronics and weapons in a bag beside him. He was wearing his combat harness, armor and modified helmet, transferring things from the bag to the harness. When he saw them approaching, he reached up and locked the rear doors and picked up two high energy Tazers. He set one in his lap and held the other two handed aimed down but in Ron's direction.
Ron and Kim opened the front doors and looked inside, "Out of the car, Wade." Ron ordered.
"Nope." Wade was looking straight ahead, like Sagara had shown him, watching for movement in his peripheral vision
"Wade."
"Let's go, you're wasting time." The Tazer never moved. He kept it down, but ready.
"Well get out of the car and we can stop wasting time."
"Not a chance, Ron. This bastard had me fooled for months. If I'd have been a little faster….." His breathing hitched as his voice broke until he regained control, "I might have been able to prevent a lot of stuff. Roger being top of the list. If you try to take me out of this car, well….." he settled the Tazer a bit.
"So, what, are ya gonna taze the both of us?"
Wade glanced at Ron for a second and looked forward again. "Nope, just you."
Ron looked confused. "Why just me?"
"Because if I drop Kim, and I can't get to the other Tazer fast enough, you drop me and leave us both behind. But if you're down for a while, no one goes." Kim's jaw dropped at the statement. Sagara's tactical training had definitely had an effect.
"Now get in the car and let's go. I've tracked that son-of-a-bitch to some kinda safe house or warehouse in Lowerton. And I wanna piece of him." Wade snarled the last part.
Using his left hand Wade pulled out some kind of device, but the Tazer never wavered. "Now you can take me with you, or I'll get out. And thirty seconds later, I fry the distributor, climb into BK Unit 1 and go find him myself. It's your choice. Now get in the car and let's go! Because if I'm right, Kaname will be here in about ten minutes, probably less, then you'll have to deal with her as well."
Wade looked very seriously at the flummoxed Ron. He snapped his eyes to Kim for an instant then back to Ron. She was just as dumbfounded as her boyfriend. They stood there looking at the thirteen year old genius for a second then stood up and looked across the roof of the car at each other. They silently came to the conclusion that Wade was pissed.
Five minutes later a large 1960's piece of Detroit steel was roaring towards the bypass carrying three very angry young Warriors.
**********
Just after they left the building, the opposite door opened just before Eleanor came screeching to a halt in the middle of the garage. Kaname came bounding out of the car running first to the Dojo. Not seeing anybody she ran upstairs. No one was home. While she was up there, she ran to her room and dressed for action, including her armor.
After her father and sister had regained their balance from the wild ride through the city, they climbed up the stairs to the apartment. They had no idea what was going on. One minute she just cruising along on their way back from spending the day together before her family went back to New York, the next, after reading a text message, suddenly she was giving them a demonstration of the driving techniques she had learned from her boyfriend.
She met them as they entered apartment, stopped them, and said, "Follow me!" She took off heading back down the stairs.
The other two followed with her father asking, "Kaname-chan?"
She didn't answer until they reached the door to the lab and her father asked again, "Kaname-chan?"
"Daddy, I don't have time to argue. Now get in the lab. If this is a trap, it's the safest place for 100 kilometers."
"Then you're going with us."
Kaname stopped, looked at her father, and said, "No Daddy, I'm not! I have a job to do. And I can't do it from inside the lab. Now you and Ayame get in there and let me lock the door or I'll drag you in there, kicking and screaming, and lock you in anyway." She glared at her father and said, "And we both know I can do it!"
He did know it. She had tossed him around the Dojo enough to leave no doubt.
Her sister didn't know what was happening, but she somehow knew her sister was heading into danger. And it showed. "Kaname, what's happening? Where are you going?"
"To stop a murder."
His daughter had faded away, leaving behind a Warrior. She would never back down, never quit, never give up. Her father grew a rueful smile, cupped her cheek, and said, "Your mother would be so proud of you!"
She crashed into him with a fierce hug. After a moment, she pulled away, saying, "Daddy I don't have time. Now go. Ayame, you know how to lock the door?"
"Wade showed me."
"Now get in there and lock the door. Only we can get in, so you'll be safe." Kaname turned and headed back up the stairs as her family entered the lab. Ayame hit the locks and the doors closed with a soft clang and the sound of three inch bolts sliding into place.
**********
She knew she had to get to Ron before he made a mistake that would cost them the last lead they had on the real enemy. The ones who were pulling the strings and giving the orders.
Sure she wanted the mole brought down, but more importantly thought she knew who the puppeteer was. A silver haired, arrogant, bishonen fruity boy named Leonard Testarossa. And long before she went after a piddling little mole, she wanted the pretty boy in her sights. Take down the puppeteer and, hopefully, three/quarters of their problems would evaporate. (bishonen literally "beautiful youth" (boy). Often used in a homosexual refrent)
Just before taking the few seconds to fasten her harness, Kaname started the engine to allow the oil to circulate a bit before the rough use that was sure to come. The 500 CID started with a nasty growl, rumbling to life, and Eleanor indicated she was online. "Eleanor, engage Level 3 protocols, full power, I want all the active evasion and avoidance systems up and running." Pausing for a second, she said, "And go ahead and activate the defensive systems. Start scanning from Ron's Kimmunicator. We have to find and stop him."
"Scanning initiated. Query: What is Ronald trying to do that we must stop him?"
"We think he's going to kill a G.J. mole. The same one responsible for the attacks on his family. One we need alive to find his boss."
"I see, Scanning……I have a location on Ronald's Kimmunicator."
Roaring out of the warehouse the GTO came airborne as it passed the hump meant to slow car before entering. Racing a block ahead, Kaname snapped a turn toward the center of town. The engine was screaming from the demands of the driver. She hollered at the A.I. "How far ahead is he, Eleanor?"
"According to the GPS in Ronald's Kimmunicator, Kaname, he has approximately an 8 to 9 minute lead."
"Well, we'll make that up in a hurry."
"Don't be so sure Kaname. According to my data, although he has a smaller engine, he his also not carrying as much weight. I estimate he has a 5 to 7 percent better Power to Weight Ratio. He is not carrying any armor or armaments. Also when he and Roger restored the vehicle they greatly improved the suspension and reduced the total weight by a liberal use of composites.
"Although the Galaxie is not as maneuverable as I am, it is faster and has better acceleration at higher speed. As long as he stays in the city our advanced sensors, better maneuverability, and low end torque should allow us to catch up.
"But if he gets into and stays the open, then he'll be able to use his better horsepower ratios. There's a chance, a very good chance he can lose us. Especially if he figures out we're tracking his Kimmunicator"
Kaname swore, "Dammit, any GJ aircraft or police in the area?"
"Scanning……, none detected, there are two police vehicles that have a 20% or less chance of interception. However depending on how ruthless Ron is willing to be, he could either avoid or blow through any roadblock."
"Well, I think it's a safe bet Ron's willing to be pretty ruthless."
"I would say so, Kaname."
"Any idea where he's headed"
"I believe so, I have extrapolated a probable destination from his direction, and data intercepts. He should be headed to a warehouse on the south side of Lowerton. Scanning……, Ron seems to be taking the bypass in favor of higher speed and lighter traffic. Tightening scans……, we should be able to intercept him by going through the center of town. Route on the heads-up display now."
"Zoom in closer, Eleanor. Keep scanning for anything in the way."
"Complying. Nothing noted on projected route."
Kaname drifted through a hard turn, lining up on Main, she up shifted and accelerated past 100 MPH, thanking the Gods Dr. Director allowed them to install the light bars and sirens. With sirens screaming and lights flashing, the GTO thundered through the center of town on the quiet late Saturday afternoon. Seeing the lights behind them cars pulled out of the way as Kaname blasted past them like they were standing on jack stands.
Using the commo system, Eleanor hacked the system for the traffic lights. She forced the lights to open a path by going red for everyone else in their way.
Since she was already in the system, Eleanor 'looked' around and noted something odd about the route Ron was taking. The lights were changing for him, almost like someone had hacked the system for him similar to what she was doing for Kaname. Very carefully and at the faster then thought speeds of an A.I., Eleanor searched for the hacker. She found a trace and ever so gently tried to follow it back to its origin. It was routed through dozens of servers and nodes, too many for her to trace while engaged in a high speed intercept.
While she couldn't prove it, she had a sneaking suspicion who was on the other end: a thirteen year old genius named Dr. Wade Load. The question was, why was Dr. Load helping Ron. The teenager had to know Ron had no intention of even trying to take prisoners.
**********
Through the darkening mountain valleys, like an RAF Tornado on a low-level bombing run, a sound thundered overhead and was gone before anybody had a chance to get a look at the plane passing by. Not that they would have been able to see it anyway because Sousuke had the ECS on full.
He was pushing the flight pack to the limit to get back in time to try and stop a mistake.
And the day started out so well!