Chapter 18: Synchronizer
15:37 PM (Honolulu Time), Sunday August the 4th…
"… These are the results of Isaac's assessment of Internet City…"
"Excellent. Show them to me…"
"Right away, milady…"
"It'll be interesting to see what conclusions he draws…"
Clark met with Anaya and Izono in a meeting room.
He connected a USB drive to a smart TV.
It played footage of Isaac's assessment.
"Algebra Man, Aquarium Man, Frigid Man…"
Anaya began to come up with parodies of Navi names.
Izono rolled his eyes, too used to that.
Clark pretended that he wasn't listening.
"Wait. Pause. Rewind!" Anaya ordered.
"Yes…"
He rewound the footage and stopped in the playground footage.
"Those two Navis…" Anaya muttered.
Her sight was in the two Navis of the playground.
"What about them?" Izono asked.
"Something feels different about them. Isaac notes it in his report, too!"
"Wait. Those two…"
Clark gasped, as if he recognized them.
"Well, well. Isaac sure has sharp eyes!" He muttered.
"See?"
"What's so special about them?" Izono asked.
"They're Navis of "Beyondard"…"
"Not "Zoanoroids"?"
"No. That Navi is the guardian of that little kid…"
"And it has something special to them?"
"Yes. It's the "Synchronizer"!"
"And what exactly does it do? Synch all clocks in the world?"
"Marco! Why are you so annoyed?"
"Because I foresee trouble… And, last time, you didn't pay heed…"
Anaya became annoyed.
"Whatever. Keep on, Twilight!"
"Roger…"
"Fine. Don't blame me when trouble DOES happen…"
Izono shrugged and crossed his arms.
"It's named like that because it can sync two different devices…"
"And?"
"It was the key to ending the decades-long war of that world…"
"Which means that it's powerful?"
"When you employ it as a weapon, that is…"
"Do you know how?"
"Yes. Going by records of what happened there…"
"You didn't see it yourself?"
"I was busy planning for the next phase… I glanced over afterwards…"
"Fine. Well then… Let's snatch that kid…"
"I knew it…!" Izono sighed.
"And use it to get rid of Regal and the other interlopers!"
"It could work. But please allow me to study the feasibility of it…"
"Fine. Least we jump into a trap…"
He made mock applause.
"Are you asking for a fight, Marco!?"
"No. I was applauding that you finally learnt to be careful…"
"Whatever. Infighting is what Regal wants. Won't do it!"
"Good. Let's not lose track of that, milady…"
"Now that I think about it… I have a hunch of who has custody of it…"
"Who is it?"
"Some miss named Iris… I have some data on them…"
"Fine. I and some gals will handle the capture. You study the kid…"
"Roger…"
"However… Remember our deal with Mr. Opoulos, milady…"
"I know. Won't do anything inappropriate. Merely keep her locked…"
"And allow her own angst to take over…"
"Yes! She'll confess all that we know to learn. Without doing anything!"
"Fair enough. Let's make sure that nobody interferes with her…"
"We can set up the card reader so that it only accepts my card…"
"Good idea. This way, nobody else can enter the cell…"
"Set up a "give up" button. She rings it, and we go question her…"
"What do we do afterwards? Remember the deal…"
"I know! No need to repeat it every 5 seconds!"
She fumed, but Izono didn't beat an eyebrow.
"Send them back to town. Better… Make a copy of the kid…"
"I see. Extract the necessary data and then return them…"
"Opoulos will not complain if we do that, right?"
"Surely. But let's ask for his permission first. It's his base…"
"I know!"
She formed a mischievous grin.
"By the way! Twilight. That was sneaky of you!"
"Excuse me?"
"I know why you tried to skip that data…"
"Why would that be?"
"Because it's your ex-girlfriend and her kid!"
"EXCUSE ME!?"
Clark was both bewildered and horrified at the same time.
Izono grumbled, annoyed, and slapped his face.
Anaya burst into laughter, crossing her arms over her stomach.
"That face! Priceless! Truly!"
"Milady! You of all people should know that…!" Clark argued.
"I know, I know! But that face is worth it!"
"… Begin work on the systems. I'll talk to Mr. Opoulos…"
Izono sighed and tried to end the pointless humiliation.
"Right away…!"
Clark rushed away, still annoyed and flustered.
"That face!"
Anaya wouldn't stop laughing.
Izono also left the room, closing the door behind him.
He rolled his eyes and fumed.
"That so counter-productive, it makes me annoyed as well…!"
He grumbled under his breath as he drew a wallet.
He pulled a cardkey from it and pressed it against a reader.
A door unlocked, and he crossed into another section of the base.
He walked over to the "MEETING ROOM" door and pressed a button.
"I apologize for the sudden visit, but…"
"Knowing you… That means that it's serious business, Mr. Izono…"
"Exactly…"
"Come in…"
The door unlocked and he stepped into the meeting room.
Both Opoulos and Platinum were reunited there.
"It's about an operation that involves capture of a certain subject…"
"Interesting… Tell me more…"
"The idea is to close them in a cell until they give up and confess…"
"I see, I see. That's smart…"
"We mean to set it up so that only one of us three can open it…"
"Good idea. Least one of the sentries do something odd…"
"We'll set up a "give up" button, there's no need for a full-time sentry…"
"Fine. Only bring food and retrieve it…"
"Let's work on the details, shall we?"
21:03 PM (Texas Time)…
"… Been a while since I've last been in Dallas…"
"Sure…"
"But let's be careful. Some ill folks might lurk here…"
"Naturally. We had one such fright last summer, too…"
Raul and Thunder Man talked together.
He was sitting on a bench on a commercial road.
A lot of people moved up and down.
"What are we looking for, Raul?"
"A gang that's operating that Drill Man rascal…" He whispered.
"I see. Must meant to strike something…"
"I have several candidates in mind, but…"
"We can't tell which it'll hit…"
"But since most of them are concentrated here…"
"It's easier to tell if something happens…"
"Keep your senses sharp, my pal… This isn't going to be easy…"
"Didn't expect it to be…"
An alarm rang out from a nearby jewelry store.
"Speaking of the devil!" Raul grumbled.
"I'm going to check it out!" Thunder Man announced.
"Go!"
Thunder Man rushed across the Cyber World.
Explosions rang outside of the store.
"Out of my way! Triple Hole!"
"That's Drill Man, alright!"
"What "SS – Class Security"? It's but a sham!" He laughed.
"That fool is overpowered…"
"Be careful. Maybe it's a trap to lure us out…" Raul warned.
"Fine. I'll hide and watch what happens next…"
Thunder Man hid behind a wall and waited.
Another explosion ensued and Drill Man flew out of the store.
He carried an attaché case glued to his back.
"Nobody can stop me!"
"Objection! You'll have to make it past me, Cloud Man!"
Cloud Man appeared before Drill Man, crossing his arms.
He was serious, for once.
"What the fuck! "Neo Gospel"!?"
"We had business with that store, too…"
"First one wins!"
"Fool. It's not about robbing. It's business!"
"Whatever! Out of my way!"
"Did I introduce you to the "Black Hero" yet?"
"What the fuck?"
"Cross Thunder!"
A powerful, electrical attack hit Drill Man from behind.
He howled and dropped to the ground.
"Meet Zekrom! The "Black Hero"!"
"What "Neo Gospel"! You're but a bunch of kids!"
"Fool. Videogames are ageless!"
"I'll crush you yet!"
"I see that you need another lesson. Thunder Fang!"
"Zekrom" bit the right leg, and Drill Man groaned again.
"I'll be taking this!"
Swallow Man joined the fray and snatched the case.
"S-shit! But the "Bones of Hell" will have payback!"
"Bones of Hell? Fancy. A heavy metal band?" Cloud Man laughed.
"… Those who care more about the name than what it's about…"
Thunder Man sighed and shook his head, disappointed.
"Agreed…"
Police cars had gathered before the store.
A cordon was drawn.
"Stay away! It's dangerous!" An officer instructed.
"The armed robbers might still be inside!"
"Armed robbers!?"
Panic ensued and everyone fled in all directions.
"This way! Please follow instructions!"
"Over here!"
Other officers tried to coordinate the crowd.
Raul quickly moved away and waited in an alley.
"Check it out! The brightest man in the Cyber World has come!"
"Well, well. If isn't Brightly Brightening Sparkly!"
"What kind of lame name is that!? I'm BRRRIGHTT MAANNN!"
Bright Man appeared in the area, too.
Cloud Man grinned and taunted him.
"We're the "Bright Skulls of Wisdom"! We're the strongest!"
"Someone was inspired! Too much meth, I take it!" Cloud Man laughed.
"… Come out, Regal!"
Swallow Man was skeptical and then challenged someone.
A familiar chuckle ensued.
"Sharp, aren't we? Mr. Raven…"
Swallow Man crossed his arms, unimpressed.
"Who else could rebuild a "Darkloid", anyway?"
"If all went as planned, they would be my pawns. Not yours…"
The sound of fingers tapping an armrest echoed.
"Do I look like I care?" Swallow Man shot back.
"I'm not talking to you. My audience is Clark…"
"Too bad. He's too busy to deal with losers…"
"Too much scheming will be the schemer's downfall…"
"Really. I could say the same to you, Regal…"
"Don't ignore me!"
"Shut up. Go back to the bones or whatever…"
Cloud Man gripped Bright Man with his right hand.
Bright Man struggled, pushing his arms against the huge fingers.
"I'll squeeze you as if you were a lemon!"
"Chance…!"
Drill Man used the chance to escape.
"Check it out! You'll regret starting a fight with us!"
"All losers say the same. Be gone!"
He flung Bright Man away and threw him against a wall.
He crashed against it, leaving an imprint.
He then fell to the ground, opening a crater.
"Let's get out before the man sends something nastier!"
"Sure…"
"As for this stupid empty case, you can have it!"
He flung the case to the ground, and it opened from the shock.
It was indeed devoid of contents.
Thunder Man waited as Police Navis secured the area.
"That criminal, Bright Man, has escaped as well!" One grumbled.
"They're always good at fleeing!" Another sighed.
"… You were right, Raul. Things aren't easy…"
"I know. If Regal is involved, even less…"
"We'll have to walk with lead feet, even…"
Raul looked at how things had somehow calmed down on his end, too.
"In the end, there were no human robbers…"
"The intent was good, but they didn't think of the consequences!"
"Can't be helped. When one's under stress…"
"Fine. Let's pull out before there's complications…"
"Sure…"
Raul walked away from the scene.
"Such pointless madness…!"
22:22 PM (New York Time)…
"… Those "Hard Rocks of NYC" are hiding in that warehouse…"
"Really. What kind of mess did they start up this time?"
"Trying to steal an antiques store…"
"Do they love antiques?"
"Someone said there was something worth 100K Zenny…"
"Classical!"
Charles, wearing a blue raincoat, talked with someone.
This someone also wore a raincoat.
It was raining.
"How many of them are there?"
"4 of them. Half were caught during the botched theft…"
"Fine. I'll go pay them a visit… This is the fee…"
He drew some bundled bank notes and gave them to the man.
"If someone asks, redirect them to Jack Doe in Pennsylvania…"
"Piece of a cake…"
The informant walked out of the zone.
Charles made his way through some alleys.
He looked at a warehouse ahead of him.
Light was visible in the windows of the second floor.
"… How is it like, Davis?"
"I did find Drill Man's signature, but…"
"Can't tell if it's a fake or not…"
"Exactly…"
"Going by what Raul said… It's likely that it's a ploy by Regal…"
"Likely. Using Drill Man as a decoy…"
"Until he can steal all of Clark's data…"
"But Clark probably won't ignore him forever…"
"Maybe the whole server is bait…"
"And if he pries too deeply, a trap springs into action…"
"Possible…"
"Let's see what they're made of…"
He drew a pebble which had a message attached to it.
He flung it towards the window, shattering it.
Yelps rang out.
He quickly turned the corner to be out of sight.
Muffled gunshots rang out.
A yell rang out next and sounds of a scuffle.
"Guess that one of them is too trigger-happy…"
"And the smart member is scolding them…"
"That message only said "SUCKERS", anyway…"
"Let's see whom they blame for it…"
An argument was happening inside the building.
The window blinds were lowered.
The main door opened.
A car turned on.
Charles risked turning the corner and looked.
A black 4WD raced out of the building.
"There they go…"
"But let's not enter. There could be a trap…"
"Surely…"
He rushed away.
A few seconds later, an explosion happened.
"They probably ignited the fuel to start a fire…"
"No surprise…"
He walked away from the area.
He opened a manhole and made it inside of the sewers.
He turned on a flashlight to check the corridor.
He headed northwards.
"It must be a fuss up there already…"
"I sent a tipoff about the car…"
"OK. But they'll probably swap rides at some point…"
"If Regal bothered to ready one, that is…"
"Good point. They might be use and throw pawns…"
After a few minutes, he reached the ladder.
He climbed it and pushed open the manhole.
He emerged in a deserted alley.
He placed it back in its place.
He drew a key and opened a small door.
He entered the location and shut the door, locking it.
He climbed a flight of stairs.
He removed the raincoat and folded it inside of a bag.
He opened another door.
He exited into a hotel's corridor.
He headed for room 319.
He used his card key to unlock it.
He stepped inside and turned on the lights.
"The pleasure is mine, Senator Morgangantz…"
"Regal!?"
He gasped when he saw Regal sitting in an armchair.
He was visibly amused.
"Did you like my informant role acting?" He chuckled.
"By all the…"
"I only had to set a micro robot to tail you…"
"The whole warehouse fuss was a distraction!"
Charles quickly drew a blue energy saber with a white hilt.
Regal merely rubbed his chin with the right hand.
"Interesting tool. An improvement over Wily's crude weapons…"
"You're either a dummy or have a pawn hiding in the room…"
"I have my gatekeeper, you see…"
"Gatekeeper…?"
He ducked as a purple arm shot across the air.
He flung the saber upwards in an arch and cut it off.
He glanced over the shoulder.
"Devil! "Zoan" Gate Man of Falzer!"
"I won't fail next time…"
The "Zoanoroid" stood before the door, opening his chest doors.
"You want gatekeepers? Here's one for you!"
A tall, featureless black slab formed behind the foe.
The cover vanished, revealing an apparently endless tunnel.
The air was sucked inside of the tunnel, and so was the foe.
The lid closed and the thing vanished.
Regal didn't move an inch.
The thing reformed above him, and the foe crashed on him.
A frizzle ensued and Regal reverted to a "Copy Roid".
"I knew it. Even Regal would've perceived danger and moved…"
"Lovely. He's predicting all our moves now…"
"Let's warn out pals, least he comes "surprise" them as well…"
"Somehow, it wouldn't surprise me!"
Charles was already inspecting the bed, casting away the sheets.
He punched the mattress and looked underneath the bed, too.
Davis opened all drawers and cupboards, too.
"The issue is if it's in the ceiling, the walls, or the floor…"
"Or maybe there's none and wants us to believe that there's one…"
"I activated jammers to prevent Copy Roid and materialization…"
"I know, but… The issue will be finding a safe place…"
"Guess that we'll have to ask Zataki for a room for some days…"
"Likely outcome. As if this weather wasn't gloomy enough…!"
"We must act before that man becomes a modern Moriarty…!"
"Agreed…! What a nuisance!"
