Chapter 32: "Saints & hands"
08:55 AM (Japan Time), Wednesday August the 21st…
"… That Isaac is growing stronger by the day…"
"I know. But Mr. Zataki said that it's beneficial for us…"
"I don't question that, but…"
"I understand the concern. But more than him…"
"I know. Regal is more concerning for us right now…"
Netto and Saito were talking about recent events.
The place was the park.
The skies were cloudless.
Birds were singing.
Both carried backpacks.
"I checked with Sir Omega. Things are normal…"
"For now, that is… We don't know when they'll make a move…"
"Yes. We can't be overconfident…"
"The only positive thing is that Regal absorbs their attention…"
"And they don't have time to pester us…"
"How ironic!"
"Hullo. What's up?"
"Hi, Meiru… As you can see… Not much!"
Meiru walked there and joined them.
"Well. That's better than anything else…"
"What about you, Roll?" Saito asked.
"Nothing different. Apart from Rush and his pranks…"
"What did he do now?"
"He snuck into Glyde's PET and placed a banner there…"
"What kind of banner?"
"… "Saints & hands"…"
"And what is that supposed to be?"
"Apparently it's based on a Spanish pun… "Santos y manos"…"
"Spanish? Talk about a curious choice…"
"I suspect that someone who loves jokes told him…"
"Or he heard an exchange between two best buddies…"
"That could be it, too…"
"Well. It doesn't harm anyone…"
"Hi! Let's show them the results of our training!"
"Hullo, Dekao. I see that you've been intensely training!"
"I've also been training, too!"
Dekao and Chisao also met with them.
"Been swimming a lot, too!"
Hikawa came there, too, carrying a sports bag.
"Hi, youth! I see that you're enjoying the summer!"
"Mr. Masa! Been a while!"
Masa stopped his bicycle there and made a thumbs up sign.
"Don't forget the calcium!"
"Naturally!"
"By the way! Did you see the swordfish?"
"Which swordfish?"
"My buds at the port were talking about a flying swordfish…"
"How is a swordfish going to fly?"
"But there were those hovering fish robots, no?"
"Nostalgic!" Netto laughed.
"True. That's when we first met Shark Man!"
"Then maybe the robots are going to be hijacked?" Meiru suggested.
"By the mighty swordfish! A man of the sea won't allow them!"
He roared and pedaled his bicycle at top speed, heading away.
Nobody was too surprised.
"Well. If he can prevent trouble, let's allow him to do it…"
"Sure…"
"See… It's a reference to a comic book series…" Blood Shadow told them.
"Really?"
"A Belgian comic book series, Blake & Mortimer…"
"And there's a flying swordfish?"
"It's because it's a hybrid fighter jet codenamed "Swordfish"…"
"I see!"
"Maybe it's a hint that they'll attack with one of those?" Dekao suggested.
"Could be… Regal did use a SR-71 "Blackbird"…"
"Or maybe it's a fake hint…" Hikawa argued.
"Hard to tell. Could be either…"
"Well. Let's warn the Net Police about the aquarium at the least…"
"Good idea…"
"Let's go to Yaito – chan's and enjoy the day!"
"Sure!"
The group animatedly made their way across the city.
They reached the gates of the Ayanokouji mansion.
Two maids were waiting for them.
"Welcome…" They welcomed them.
They stepped aside as the doors opened outwards.
"The Miss is waiting for you…"
"Thank you!"
They walked down the main avenue until the entrance.
Yaito stood before the open doors.
She had already changed into sportswear.
"Morning!"
"Morning!"
"The gym is waiting for us!"
"Great!"
The group stepped inside the main hall.
"Well! You know the routine!"
"See you later!"
The guys headed to the right wing.
Meiru and Yaito headed to the left wing.
The guys each entered a different room.
Netto and Saito entered a guest bedroom.
"I go first…"
"OK!"
Saito drew his sportswear from the backpack.
He entered the bathroom and shut the door.
Netto readied his sportswear in the meanwhile.
"Blues said that he'd look into the aquarium lead…"
"OK!"
"Search Man is scanning this area, too…"
"Alright. Knowing him, he'll leave no stone unturned…"
"Done!"
Saito emerged, having changed.
He placed his normal clothes atop the bed, folded.
"OK! My turn!"
Netto went in and shut the door, too.
"I'll coordinate the security with Glyde, as always…"
"Handle it!"
"Done, too!"
Netto emerged, having changed as well.
Both emerged into the corridor.
They met up with the others, who'd already changed as well.
They met with the girls and headed further inside.
They made it to the gym.
A music player was set atop a table, playing music.
"OK! Let's begin the routine!"
"Yes! Coach Yaito!"
14:25 PM (Jawaii Time), Tuesday August the 20th…
"… Alright. Everything is ready to begin the test…"
"Roger!"
"Remember the instructions…"
"Yes. I will make sure to follow them…"
"If you feel something odd, say it right away…"
"Understood…"
Nelaus stood inside of a "Dimensional Area" test box.
He wore the special suit used for such tests.
Clark stood outside of it, before the control panel.
Nelaus had a "Synchro Chip" ready on his left hand.
He held the PET in the right hand.
"Deploying the "Dimensional Area"!"
He pulled up the lever and turned on the machines.
The "DA" formed inside of the box.
"Ready, Isaac?"
"Sure!"
"Synchro Chip, Slot In!"
Nelaus slotted the chip into the PET.
"CROSS FUSION!"
The energy sphere expanded.
The blinding light soon dimmed.
Clark clapped with approval.
"Excellent!"
His helmet gained three square dots on the ear-pads and the forehead.
They were golden, crystal and silver,
A black matrix filled the rest of the helmet's surface.
Blonde hair popped out behind the helmet.
The platinum letters "N" and "I" were set on each of his shoulder plates.
A thick, dark blue vest covered his chest.
Semi-transparent purple armor covered the forearms, wrists and hands.
Red circles were drawn in a succession over the hand armor.
The fingers had transparent red rings set on each one.
His legs had a red and black matrix drawn over them.
His boots were unchanged.
"… Impressive!"
"CF" Nelaus looked at his body, amazed.
"I'm everywhere and nowhere!" Isaac chuckled.
"To think that such technology exists…!"
"The progress of technology is amazing, isn't it?" Clark chuckled.
"I feel no anomalies insofar!"
"Excellent. I knew that your "synchronism" values were very good…"
He pressed a button.
Targets deployed around him.
"Try your reflexes with these!"
"Roger! Buster!"
He formed a buster weapon and shot a target.
He quickly spun around and hit another target.
"Wonderful speed!"
"Long Sword!"
He used the Long Sword to quickly strike two targets, too.
"Vulcan!"
He fired at three targets in a succession while keeping his position.
"High accuracy and speed, too…"
He backflipped and swung his right foot to hit a target, too.
He then swung the left arm and hit a set of two targets as well.
"That's enough for a first test!"
"Cross Out!"
He cancelled the "Cross Fusion".
He collected the PET and the "Synchro Chip".
Clark lowered the lever and cancelled the "DA".
The door opened, and Nelaus walked out.
"I can tell that all your vital signs are stable…"
Clark used a PET to look at graphs.
"But that's enough for today. Take a shower and relax…"
"Roger, sir…"
"30 minutes after, we'll have lunch. Then it's study time…"
"Yes, sir. A class simulation…"
"Correct. Your next mission will be in a school…"
"And I must behave as a model student…"
"Precisely. That's where your intelligence will be proven!"
"I am looking forward to it, sir…"
"As you said… Be a model student. Silent. Good notes. Focused…"
"But that doesn't mean rejecting interactions with others, right?"
"No. Simply keep an appropriate distance…"
"Understood. Show that I know the rules of society…"
"Yes. You needn't engage in constant chit-chat…"
"Roger…"
They made it out of the room and down a corridor.
"I'll go coordinate with the top brass. Later, Nelaus…"
"Later, sir…"
Nelaus reached his bedroom and stepped inside.
He removed the gear and stripped down to his white boxers and socks.
He grabbed clothes change and a towel.
"I'll go shower!"
"OK! I'll ask Commander Freeze Man if there are new orders!"
Nelaus stepped into the bathroom.
He placed the towel on the hook of the wall.
He undressed and stepped into the shower.
He turned it on and sighed in relief.
"Dr. Clark was right. It does use physical energy…"
He stopped it to shampoo his head and body.
He hummed a tune.
"Buoy Base Galaxy, was it? That track was impressive!"
He finished cleansing and stopped the shower.
He stepped out and dried with the towel.
He dressed again and returned to the room.
He put on the new clothes.
"I'm back. All is nominal…"
"What about lousy Cloudy?"
"His cache memory was flushed, and he doesn't remember that prank…"
"Alright…"
"But he's under strict surveillance. If he does it again…"
"Full rebuild from factory presets?"
"Correct…"
"That should work as deterrent to keep him in line…"
"Let's hope that!"
"Apart from that? What about Regal?"
"Is lurking and sharpening his fangs to bite at us…"
"Well. Dr. Clark will eventually settle the score with the man…"
"Surely…"
"Well. Time for lunch!"
He grabbed the PET and exited the room.
He crossed the security door and stepped into the cafeteria.
He lined up in the queue as he glanced at the options.
"Guess that sausages with fried egg…" He muttered.
"After that training, one needs calories!" Isaac encouraged.
"Sure!"
Nelaus hummed a tune as he advanced into the queue.
"Let's get ready for our next mission!"
15:38 PM (Jawaii Time)…
"… These incidents below the surface are fishy…"
"Go fish?"
"Very funny, Dave…"
"While they look like isolated, sporadic things at a first glance…"
"There's more to it than it meets the eye!"
"Feels like someone is using them as training…"
"And it's not Shadow Man…"
Davis was inspecting the ground of an alley somewhere.
He used UV light to search for traces.
"Horse hoofs?"
"Horses? In Internet City? Talk about new…" Charles laughed.
"I have a bad feeling about this…"
"But none of the "Darkloids" ever used horses…"
"True. But it doesn't need to be one of them…" Davis argued.
"Good point. Could be some parody…"
"Feels like Regal is desperate to catch up with Clark…"
"Too predictable…" Charles agreed.
"Sure. It's a fake lead. Even an amateur hacker can do this…"
"Agreed…"
"Wait! The radar! Four signatures are converging there!"
"Noted!"
He formed the slab below his feet and removed the cover.
He dived inside of the endless tunnel, and it closed.
"The bearer of fate!"
"Come forth from the mortal lands!"
"Along with death and plague!"
"Thee sins shall burn in the depths of Hell!"
"… Lovely. The "Fiends" from Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne!"
Davis had reappeared on the rooftop of a nearby building.
He looked at the crossroads.
The "Four Knights of the Apocalypse" had appeared there.
The citizens screamed and ran away in all directions.
"Stop right there!"
Thunder Man landed there.
"Thunderbolt!"
He raised his arms and formed grey clouds.
Thunderbolts fell, but the knights flew away to dodge them.
"A new sinner…"
"Is awaiting punishment…"
"By the mighty fallen angel…"
"In the depths of the abyss…"
"What puny parodies!" Davis sighed.
He formed the slab behind him to deflect an attack.
"You really have become a dirty ninja… Laser Man!"
Laser Man stood there, silent.
"Well? What's your business?"
Laser Man didn't bother to speak.
"Guess that you're but a hollow vessel by now…"
Davis ignored him and jumped into the street.
"Need a hand, Thunder Man?"
"Delighted…"
"Beware of that hollow thing, though. Dirtier than a ninja…"
"Sure…"
"I feel praised…"
"Shadow Man. You were investigating this, too?"
"Naturally…"
Shadow Man joined the fray.
"Count with me, too!"
"Omega. Wonderful!"
Omega also joined them.
"Search Man is scanning the area for ambushes…"
"Understood…"
The riders landed on the ground and rode for them.
"Thunderbolt!"
"Justice Cannon!"
"Explosion!"
"Saber!"
The group counterattacked, driving away the attackers.
"This is Search Man. The enemy remains in the same position…"
"It's solid or a hologram?"
"Solid. But it's neither transmitting nor receiving…"
"Probably stands in for a video camera to film things…"
"Likely. Another unit might come to retrieve the data…"
"I readied an ambush in that point already!" Omega whispered.
"OK. Let's play a bit longer…"
"Sure…"
"We'll send the damage bill to Regal, anyway…" Shadow Man chuckled.
"Well said!" Thunder Man agreed.
"The Lord of the Endless Battle…"
"Has summoned his slumbering forces…"
"To march forth to Heaven…"
"And finish what began ages ago…"
"He must've hired an avid fan!" Davis fumed.
"Surely!"
"… Contact! It's Flash Man…"
"Did appeal as being smarter than the average "Darkloid"…"
Flash Man had appeared behind Laser Man.
He plunged his hand inside the body and did something.
He pulled it out, gripping a USB memory inside of the hand.
The "hollow" Laser Man dropped into the ground.
Flash Man chuckled under his breath.
He held up his right fist as if to look at his "prize".
"Roll Arrow!"
"What!?"
A familiar arrow stabbed the right hand from above.
Surprised, he opened it and dropped the memory.
A figure quickly flew in and kicked his jaw from below.
He was knocked away as it swiftly retrieved the memory.
"What the hell!?"
"Too bad. I'm your opponent!"
Sigma landed before Flash Man and loomed over him.
"Flash Gordon!"
"Less prattle! Spark Arm!"
Sigma and Flash Man began a scuffle.
"Roll Soul" Rock Man dropped into the fray.
He discreetly handed Omega the data.
He left, and Rock Man fired at one of the foes to distract it.
"I'll show them that I can bite, too…" He told the others.
"That's the spirit!" Davis encouraged.
"Of Saint Louis?" Charles joked.
"Why not. Doesn't harm…" Netto chuckled.
"Things will soon escalate to this season's climax…"
"I know. And Regal must be waiting for that…"
"It's not going to be easy. Are you ready, though?" Davis questioned.
"I never expected it to be easy!"
"Was a pointless question, then!"
"Sure thing… Let's do this!"
"Wait for us, jerks! We're coming!"
"To cleanse up!"
