Chapter 19: Crime

10:37 AM (Japan Time), Wednesday August the 7th…

"… That missy sure loves to play mouse 'n cat…"

"We don't have anything to lure them out, Boss?"

"It'd be too evident. It's not stupid…"

"OK!"

"Look! Over there…!"

"Finally…!"

Three punk-looking women were arguing inside of a car.

They were slowly driving across the street.

They were on the lookout for the pedestrians.

One of them signaled Iris, who was walking in the same direction.

She looked at a Polaroid, which she had in the right hand.

"Careful. Cops over there…"

One of them signaled two officers standing on the street corner.

"Alright. Let's drive through and forestall…"

"I'll call B Team to start a diversion…"

"Sure…"

Another brought up a walkie-talkie.

"This is A Team. Go ahead!"

"Roger!"

A loud BANG rang out, startling everyone in the street.

The policemen rushed in the opposite direction.

Several pedestrians stopped, surprised.

"It's but a firework… No big deal…" The driver giggled.

"Sure…"

"Lost track of the target!"

"Heck. It backfired!?"

"Probably perceived something and ran away…"

"But we're not amateurs. C Team!"

"We're ready!"

"Slip within the crowd and lure the target away from it…"

"Roger…"

"Say something classical. Like that we have their pops or such…"

"Sure…"

"We're heading there, too…"

"OK. Meet you there…"

The car continued and turned the street corner.

It headed southwards.

It turned right and stopped in a loading and download area.

They looked towards an alley.

Several punk-looking women were knocked out and lying in the floor.

"What!? That little girl can fight!?" One of them gasped.

"… Rather… Someone acted as decoy!" The driver guessed.

"They sniffed us!?"

"Let's pull out before…!"

The doors suddenly opened, and the security alarm rang out.

"Too bad, gals! You started a fight with the big bunch!"

An amused voice rang out of the car's computer.

"A Navi!?"

The screen turned on to reveal Needle Man.

"I'm the mighty Needle Man! And this is our turf!"

"Shit!"

"Freeze!"

A SWAT Team surrounded the car.

They were equipped with riot shields and batons.

"You're surrounded!"

"Fuck!"

The three of them climbed out, lifting their hands.

Some of the officers handcuffed them and took them away.

"Good job over there, too…"

"No big deal. I'm used to such punks…"

Yuriko met up with the team's captain.

"Fight poison with poison…"

"Agreed…"

"The key is figuring out their rendezvous point…"

"But by the time we do, it'll probably be empty or burning…"

"Unfortunately…"

"Captain!"

A team member rushed over there.

"Bad news. Their devices are infected with a virus that destroys the OS!"

"Despite that we set up jammers!?"

"I guess that if there's no inputs at a set time, it turns on…"

"Heck. They really are careful at deleting traces, aren't they?"

"Sure thing…" Yuriko sighed.

"Can't be helped. Let's bring it to the MOS, nevertheless…"

"Roger, sir…"

"I managed to stop a program from doing the same here!"

Needle Man reported from the car's computer.

"Heck. We didn't think about the car…"

"Bring it to the HQ and call for a MOS member to inspect it, too…"

"Roger, Captain!"

The squad member hurried away to relay the orders.

"I'll go check the area. Maybe there's more accomplices…"

"OK. Take care!"

"Plug Out!"

She retrieved Needle Man and rushed away.

"These gals work for Anaya. Only she would bother using them…"

"Sure. But I don't see why they bother with that girl…"

"She probably knows something important…"

"Else we wouldn't have been tipped off about it…"

"Officer Misaki said that his info was from a reliable source…"

"Sure. Since they tried to catch her!"

"But I foresaw that and used a holographic disguise…"

"That was smart!"

"I know. But they won't give up so easily…"

"Naturally. As expected of such fools…"

"What!? Regal!?"

"Been a long time, Yuriko…"

Regal suddenly emerged from an alley ahead of her.

"But I needn't use such savage methods myself…"

"Really. You're the one who abducted that boy back then, you know!"

"That was when I was manipulated by Clark. I am now stronger!"

"Settle it with the man. I couldn't care less…"

"And where would that man be?"

"You know it. Else you wouldn't have flown a Blackbird there…"

"I see that I'm becoming more famous than Gary Powers and his U2…"

"How erudite of you…"

"I only need to sit back. Their actions will tell me what I want to know!"

He laughed as he reverted to a "Copy Roid".

The core shattered and it dropped to the ground.

"As annoying as ever!" She fumed.

"Agreed…!"

"That man is slowly becoming a threat, too…"

"Miyabi. You also came?"

"Exactly. Was chasing a lead…"

Miyabi joined her, crossing his arms and looking at the doll.

"I'll resume the chase…"

"Same over here…"

11:02 AM (Japan Time)…

"… They're still chasing me… What tenacity…!"

Iris hid behind a trash container.

She was tense.

It was raining.

"… Did you find them?"

"No. Maybe they headed northwards!"

"Let's go there!"

Two or three voices rang out from nearby.

The footsteps rushed away.

"I knew that it my idea to act as a decoy, but…"

She shook her head.

"It happened faster than I thought. Someone has data on me…"

She waited for a few minutes.

"… There are no presences… But there might be an ambush…"

She bit her thumb finger's nail.

"… It's to protect him…"

She snuck out and raced down the alley.

She emerged into a bigger avenue with more transit.

She mingled amongst the crowds, looking around.

"… Follow this way… Turn left…"

She gasped when a voice whispered to her.

She noticed a woman behind her.

She wore a dark green raincoat.

She had hands in the pockets.

There was a shape in the right pocket, which protruded.

"Unless you want to have it the painful way…"

She narrowed her eyes and grimaced.

She closed her fists.

She did as the assaulter ordered and entered an alley.

The woman stood behind her.

Another one came in from the other end.

"Took time, but we found you…"

Iris didn't speak.

"You're going to enjoy a sea trip to our tropical palace…"

She didn't beat an eyebrow and was expressionless.

"You have the guts. I like that…"

The lead woman giggled.

"If I could have my way with you, it'd been funnier, but…"

She shrugged.

"Can't be helped. A deal is a deal…"

Both drew closer.

However, one of them dropped to the ground, unconscious.

"What!?"

"You must be that woman's newest punk…"

"Oozono!"

Yuriko rushed in.

"Fight someone of your size!"

The woman drew an army knife, but she quickly kicked it out of her hand.

"Run!" Yuriko told Iris.

She nodded in understanding and quickly ran away.

"That was a collaborator that that person told me about…!"

She rushed across the street towards a police box.

However, a van stopped in front of her.

The side door opened and a rope with a ring flew out.

It closed around her waist.

She was pulled inside of the van as it resumed running.

Someone covered her head with a black bag.

She heard the door closing.

"Full speed to the port!" A woman ordered.

"Roger, Sis!" Another woman confirmed.

Iris tried to struggle, but someone pressed her legs and held them.

"Don't worry, my little gal. It's but a trip to a tropical resort…"

"As long as it's not hijacked by that teddy bear…"

"You play too many videogames!"

The leading woman tied rope around the legs, too.

She added one around the shoulders, too.

She turned Iris over and tied her wrists as well.

"Tell the client that we have the cargo…"

"OK…"

"I'm a genius!"

"Sure, sure…"

11:11 AM (Japan Time)…

"… What!? An odd van stopped there?"

"Yes, ma'am…"

"Hell. Did you see where it headed to?"

"Probably the port…"

"Thanks!"

Yuriko asked the policeman in the box about what had happened.

She rushed towards her yellow open car, stopped nearby.

She jumped inside and it began to speed away.

"Full speed to the port! I don't care about speeding fines!"

"Sure!"

"Call Prism Man!"

"Already did! He's headed for the port…"

"It's probably a small ship that'll rendezvous with a bigger one!"

"I see! If it's small, it can run faster!"

She cut through the streets, the tires screeching.

"Prism Man confirms that he warned the port authorities…"

"OK!"

She gasped when she saw the van a few meters ahead of her.

"That must be it!"

"I checked the security camera of the police box. It's it!"

"Good! Hack it!"

"… It's an old model that doesn't have a computer!"

"Which means that it's the real deal…"

"Doesn't seem like they have phones or PETs…"

"Maybe it's walkie-talkies!"

"That'd make sense…"

"Is there another route?"

"Sure. We can make it there 4 minutes earlier!"

"Navigate me!"

"Turn to the right in the next crossing!"

She turned right and ran along another street.

"Left!"

"Good!"

She cut across the streets and the port became visible.

She ran across the main street.

"The van will be here in another two minutes!"

"What about the police?"

"They're coming, too!"

"OK!"

She parked stopped as the van became visible.

The passenger door window lowered.

A grenade was flung towards her.

"Hell!"

She had to drive away as it detonated.

The flash and the bang momentarily confused her.

She heard the van's brakes and the side door opening.

Hurried footsteps rang out next.

"Not so fast!"

She jumped out of her car and began to chase them, too.

The sound of an engine boat rang out next.

"Hell!"

A fishing boat was speeding away.

Another grenade was flung towards her.

She struck it in mid-air, and it sank in the water.

It detonated and a plume of water ensued.

A car stopped nearby.

Misaki ran out of it.

"Hell!" He cursed.

"Arrange for a chopper! That thing can't outrun it, right?"

"But what if the ship that they meet with has anti-air weapons?"

"… Hell!"

"We can try it, though. To at least know the other ship's name…"

"Alright. Handle it…"

"Yuriko. There's an incomplete audio file in your inbox…"

"What? When did it reach me?"

"A few minutes ago. Hadn't noticed, either…"

"Play it!"

"OK!"

The sound of a car engine could be heard in the background.

"Don't worry, my little gal. It's but a trip to a tropical resort…"

"As long as it's not hijacked by that teddy bear…"

"You play too many videogames!"

"She must've recorded what the kidnappers said!"

"And managed to hit the send button…"

"I guess that someone told her my contact information…"

"I did, actually…" Misaki admitted.

"Who is she to begin with? Why does Anaya bother with her?"

"I don't know the details, either. But Dr. Hikari asked of me to help her…"

"I see. If he did, it must be major business indeed…"

"Sir. There's an issue…"

"What now, Prism Man?"

"The nearest JSDF base is under attack by Swallow Man and Cloud Man!"

"Devil! They forestalled!"

"They materialized and attacked all choppers and planes…"

"Their destination must be Jawaii…"

"But it's over 6000 km from Japan to there…"

"I know. Not even a yacht can cover that in such a short span…"

"Unless that they meet with a chopper in some point…"

"The Ka-62 has a range of about 780km…"

"So maybe they'll meet with one about 300km from Jawaii!"

"Let's warn the authorities there…"

"I know. They probably are in the lookout due to the Blackbird, too…"

"There was a base in the famed Pearl Harbor, no?"

"Yes. Ford Island…"

"Maybe they can patrol the islands in search of odd things…"

"Sure. I'll ask the Commissioner to send an official request…"

"Better hurry before they go fight the Navy next…"

Misaki returned to his car and sped away.

"Beef! I heard that someone is in trouble!"

"Too late. They escaped…"

"Devil! When I find the jerk that stabbed a pushpin on the car wheel…!"

Commander Beef made it there, out of breath.

"That happens for neglecting exercise!" He cursed.

"Clearly…"

"Say. Ms. Mariko. When did you change styles so drastically?"

"Again? I'm Yuriko! Her twin sister!"

She sighed, annoyed.

"Now that you mention it…"

"Speaking of which. You better not bother her…"

"Bother? As if I would!"

"Really. Then what was that competition with Higure Yamitarou?"

"That's… Well…"

"Or you mean to say that that was as Masa and not you?"

He gulped and began to sweat.

"I warned you!"

She jumped into her car and sped away.

"Anything else?"

"A name. "Iris"…"

"Fine. Let's go meet with Miyabi…"

13:38 PM (Japan Time)…

"… I see. What she feared did come to happen…"

"I am sorry, sir. We were careless…"

"Don't blame yourself, Misaki – kun…"

"But…"

"She meant to be a decoy from the start. It was her resolution…"

"Yes, sir. Although…"

"I know. She probably isn't aware of who the opponent is…"

Misaki was sighing as he reported to Yuuichirou.

"But we won't sit idle. They're prone to make a mistake…"

"Why are they targeting her, anyway?"

"She's the caretaker of a powerful program…"

"I see. And they mean to use it as a trump card…"

"She foresaw it and entrusted it to Mr. Zataki days ago…"

"So at least we'll prevent them from abusing of it…"

"And if Mr. Zataki has it, they can't easily steal it…"

"And she's but the caretaker. Doesn't know how it works…"

"Exactly. Even if they try to force her to recreate it…"

"She cannot…"

"They'll probably try to use her as leverage…"

"To force Mr. Zataki to surrender the program…"

Misaki sighed and crossed his arms.

"But maybe he can use it to gain a lead on their hideout, too…"

"Risky. But there's not much else that can be done…"

"Yes. Sorry for being defeatist, but…"

"I understand, sir. We must face reality…"

"One mustn't give up hope until the very end…"

"True, sir…"

"I was thinking of organize "CF" training sessions, too…"

"Good idea, sir. We might need it…"

"By the way. Has Regal done something?"

"Is using dummies to appear and taunt others…"

"How the mighty have fallen…"

"Also has "Zoan" Gate Man to move around, too…"

"That could be troublesome…"

"Yes, sir. We'd need to design countermeasures…"

"We'll analyze the data and work on it…"

"Understood, sir…"

"Be careful. Things are becoming tenser…"

"I am aware, sir. Thank you for the warning, sir…"

"If you need a place to switch off, Meijin knows a bunch of them…"

"That could be good. A classical ramen store could work, too…"

"I should go to one, too. I also need to disconnect…"

"We all do, true…"

"Let's talk about it with Meijin and find a day in the agenda…"

"Delighted, sir…"

"When one is calm, solutions become visible…"

"That's true, sir. I won't desist so easily!"