Chapter 3
"Let's get this over and done with shall we?." Karai asked when seeing the restaurant up ahead.
"Fine. And when we do get done I want you to drop me off at my apartment please." April glanced at her partner and getting ready to become former best friend. "If that's alright with you asshole."
Karai turned her head at April with an angry look that can scare someone before turning back to the wheel. "Fine I will. Bitch." Karai said the last part under her breath before putting a little bit of speed in the car. Once again the two had a short fallout while driving to their urgent investigation mission, at a Japanese restaurant by the name of Yang Yang Yummy as the conversation was about April telling Karai about opening up and be a real friend, while Karai had to cuss her out about the same issue over and over again until April had to drop it and just turn up the radio to calm her down. Strongly deep down April knows that something had happened to Karai way before she was recruited by her, and it something that must have traumatized her to the point she would no longer open up about it or anything in her life for that matter. "Is it a crime to care for your best friend?. Is it so hard to open up for once?. What the hell happened to you back in the day?." April kelp asking those questions in her head as this was itching her brain for years, and do not see that she wasn't going to get any answers from the person seating beside her.
"Alright let's get this bitch started." Karai told her when putting the car on park and made April exit out of her thoughts.
"Let us see what ingredients and food products that Mr. Yang Yang been using as of late." April told her when getting out of the car with a blank face expression.
Karai walked around to where April was as the two looked at the restaurant in front, and both looked at each other and nodded before walking on in using both of the restaurants double door entrance.
Upon entering the building it immediately hit April with the memory of being here for the second time, since this was the exact Japanese restaurant that both her and Karai had their sushi and first hangout. Sure in the beginning it was kinda weird and confusing to April, since some odd reason she doesn't remember what happened before the two had their dinner, that happened so many years ago when she was a still a police junior in the police academy for young children. The place looked a whole lot different from the last time the two were there, as the place had been upgraded when seeing they had more eating space and a private booth in the back that was covered up by red noodle curtains. Then see a huge aquarium fish tank in which was also new compared to the old small one.
"Hey, Karai, April!." said an middle age Japanese man wearing his red chef uniform with a matching hat.
This man was none other than Mr. Yang Yang or Mr. Yang for short. He had on a force smile while trying not to look suspicious when talking to the agents that NIB has to offer, and knowing Karai she will be on his ass the whole entire time. "Please allow me to set up the best table for my personal favorite customers." Mr. Yang smiled brightly while motion them to follow him. He stopped when seeing that the two weren't moving an inch while having a blank face expression, in which made him feel very worried in fear on seeing that they weren't going to fall for his good quality service routine. "Ummmmmm, are you kids hungry or not?. The dinner is on the house." He said still smiling a little bit.
"Show us the tanks Mr. Yang." Karai ordered without lashing out.
Mr. Yang smiled. "Oh, the tanks!?." He turned around pointed at the new installed fish tank that had a few brand new fish's. "Fresh ya?."
Karai rolled her eyes in impatiens. "The other tank Mr. Yang. In the back room of the kitchen."
"No, No, No, No, that's employees only my dear child. Now if you kids aren't going to dine at my restaurant tonight then, go run along and came back next time when you're hungry okay?." Mr. Yang told them while trying his best to get them out form his sight.
"Cut the bullshit and the lame ass service quality crap, and show us the tanks in kitchen or will arrest you for bribing an NIB agent on a crime scene investigation." April warned him with seriousness while Karai crossed her arms with an eyebrow raise.
With that being said with utter seriousness, Mr. Yang dropped his smile and replace it with a disappointment look. "Oh, why do you kids want to bust an old man's balls for huh?."
"Because Mr. Yang." April slightly smiled before placing her hand on his shoulder. "You don't have no balls."
April turned Mr. Yang around and then pushed him back to the kitchen while Karai was close behind, and didn't take the three too long to reach the place when Mr. Yang pushed right on in, while Karai went right on to investigation mode. April looked around and see so many live alien food that can seriously kill a human being, and get an incredible lawsuit against them while noticing a big tank holding a huge red and black four antenna razor sharp teeth fish, that looked very pissed off for being held captive and being taken out of its environment and soon to be one day served for a hungry customer.
"Damn dude, you look like you came from the Planet Shit." April commented with a discussed look while getting a growl from the thing.
"Mr. Yang has been buying unlicensed food from other planets and serving it to Earth people, in which in the Earth Settlement Handbook on section 204 under Food Entrepreneurship. Itclearly states that all Aliens must serve Earthlings with the same common food, let alone if you're just only serving humans while serving Aliens or Mutants in disguise then you can serve them off world food." Karai stated while listening all the violations that Mr. Yang had smuggled in his restaurant, while feeling sorry for the creatures that were being made into people food without getting slaughtered.
"Damn Karai you sure know both of your books from the Alien and Mutant Handbook, and the NIB code Handbook. That let me know that your ass don't really have a life outside of work." April thought in her mind while noticing the workers who either alien like Mr. Yang or just plain Mutants.
Her mind was interrupted when upon seeing Karai stopped at the edge of the long silver prep table, with her eyes fixed on the large silver bowl. Inside she sees a alive hard-shell red colored super sized alien shrimp with black spots all over it, with double tails and had a pair of human like green eyes. Not amused or awe with emotion when seeing the adorable creature, while grabbing the thing by the waist and showed to both April and Mr. Yang. "Explain this?." Karai demanded to know while April can tell that she was very suspicious about the shrimp in her hand, as if she had a small clue as to who would be hungry for a space shrimp. "Now that's a Japanese fish Karai. Mr. Yang pointed out in utter seriousness. "If you arrest me for buying something out of the planets ocean then, that's a hate crime for you and me both."
Karai rolled her eyes and came up close to Mr. Yang. "I would feel some type of way if you were Japanese!."
She grabbed his cooking apron and pulled down and revel his multi arms, and show his alien body that was pale and covered in red and black dots. "Come on kid I have fifty mouths to feed. Give an alien a break will ya?."
Not excepting what came next. Karai forcibly slapped the poor alien with the alien shrimp in her hand, that was loud enough for anyone in and front to hear when sounding like pure lightning. This shocked Mr. Yang while April was not surprised to see that one coming, since this was one of Karai's investigation tactics to get her answers even if disrespecting or embarrassing, either an Alien or Mutant in any situation. She's determined to get what she wants. "Alright you slime ball, who requested this shrimp in my hand?." Karai demanded to know. "Uh, uh, uh, uh?." Mr. Yang got slapped hard by the shrimp once more.
"Uh is not an answer!. I said who ordered this shrimp in my hand!?." Karai bitterly said not caring how rough she's getting.
"I didn't order it for anybody I just bought one in case of special occasions. Nothing more and nothing less Karai." Mr. Yang told her and got slapped with the big hard-shell shrimp again.
"Stop lying to me and tell the damn truth!. Now or so help me!." Karai said even more sounding aggressive.
"She's going to kill the poor guy." thought April before hearing another slap.
"I swear!." Mr. Yang pleaded with a few tears running down his face.
Karai scolded and got herself into a slap someone position, and wasn't going to hold anything back with all the strength she can muster. The live alien shrimp covered his eyes when knowing that this was going to hurt the chief more than anything, that was beside him when feeling the soon to be of being a tool for slapping people. "That's it you little..." April stopped Karai from laying another hit after seeing how cruel her soon to be former best friend was treating someone, while putting her hand on her arm to push down the slapping position. "Wow, Wow, Wow!. Slow your roll hot head, you're about to be worst than Raph." She told her before turning her attention to a now slightly relaxed Mr. Yang.
"Mr. Yang you've been a good person for years and the last thing you need, is a slap in the face by a alien shrimp. Me and Karai have been a little shaky in both our partnership and friendship." April explained while Karai just gave her the eye roll.
"Y.. Yes, I definitely see it." Mr. Yang pointed out before relaxing a bit.
"Now look Mr. Yang, you only have to do is to buy or hunt earth fish. Real earth fish for earth people to eat and enjoy, minus the out of this world food poisoning." April explained her main point to make it nice and simple.
Mr. Yang smiled back at April who in which did in return before turning his attention back to Karai, who was waiting for his say to her since the work however wasn't done by a long shot. "On the behalf of my sorry good for nothing little bastards that me and my wife had produced doing mating season. My I offer you some my famous Japanese Ramon Noodles?."
April dropped her smile and replace it with a discussed scolded face. "Dude, no one wants your nasty stale outdated ass noodles Mr. Yang."
"You're a real piece of alien shit Mr. Yang." Karai told him before giving him the alien shrimp. "Let's find us a good spot to seat in. We're going to be here for about a good few hours."
After Karai was done telling April, she then exit herself out of the kitchen while April gave a quick glance back at Mr. Yang before exiting himself. Mr. Yang just scolded at the two just after their backs were turned as he was one of the people that hated NIB Agents, to the point they just wanted to at least kill one and don't regret about the thing.
Six Hours Later...
Both Karai and April sat down at the middle table of the place while trying to eat their half human and half alien food, as Karai had the noodles soup that was completely nasty when seeing the soup had a few eyeballs that in which she doesn't want to know whose eyes belonged to plus, having alien bug-like body parts floating around in her black water soup. April on the other hand had one dish of sushi, the house special fried rice with chop chicken, and one bowel of soy sauce. She looked away from her food for just a few seconds to look at Karai, who was staring down at her noodles while taking another survey scan around the restaurant, while looking at the customers who were really both Alien and Mutant in disguise and just slightly glaring at her while pretending to be either eating or being occupied.
"You know that was mean on what you did to Mr. Yang back there." April said when getting the Japanese girl attention. "You know snatching his apron off and then slapping him with an alien shrimp, and getting him embarrassed in front of his entire employees was kinda disrespectful." She told her before taking another bite of her chopped season dipped sauce chicken.
"My father told me that my mother was a tough women to not mess with." Karai said out of nowhere to April's surprise.
She knows Karai have never mention her mother in her life and sure wasn't going to spill it. "I remember that my mom was feeding me noodles while kicking a man's ass for slapping her on the rear, since she was bending down while feeding me. That's when I was two at the time."
Learning the new information about her best friend had really was hoping something like this, would only happen one day and needed to take an advantage of it before Karai dropped the subject. "Oh, well um, When I was nine I use to play basketball with Dad. Well it was just me and the basketball goal, since my dad was never there for me all of my life." April explained her personal life before the time she even joined the police academy.
"Don't be too hard on her father April." Karai looked at her with disappointment before glancing back the upstair booth, that was being used by two mutants who were watching her from a distance.
"Hey, I wasn't being too hard on my old man Karai. I was just saying that it's just sad to grow up without a Dad in your life much less have a Mom." April carried on before drinking her sweet tea.
Karai looked hard at one the aliens who was eating a whole cup of sauce, while the mutant was just eating peanuts that was used for appetizers for the customers. The only thing about was that she was eating the whole thing without even cracking the shell open. She knew deep down in her guts and feel it in her bones that something wasn't right, a the clues were starting to fit together and solve the mystery that's been messing in her brain.
"That's not right." Karai said before April can agree.
"Damn straight that's not right. A child needs a mother and father in their lives in order to be successful and have some up bringing." April said before now noticing that Karai was being uneasy in her chair, when seeing that she was clicking her tongue in trying to fit the impossible puzzle together.
"You do notice that table number eight haven't ordered anything for hours?. On the other table near the fish tank haven't ate anything either, only except for a big bowl of duck sauce." Karai said discussed with seeing that mutant jugging down the sauce like it was an all five star dish.
April scanned the area to see that Karai was right while also had that feeling, that something was wrong and suspicious about the strange activity in the restaurant before hearing a phone went off. Karai immediately put her finger on the earpiece phone to answer it, knowing that Ron was calling her back at HQ.
"Hey, Karai I've the reports about the crashed ship and the code number, belonged to..."
"The ship belonged to The Alien and Mutant Penitentiary aka The AMP. It was prisoner number 2456724, Tiger Claw The Savage." Karai told him to his surprise.
"Wait. How did you know it was him that took the ship?." Ron asked before going over to his computer to check to see the reports from the Galaxy's Space Police.
"Because Ron, Tiger Claw has no taste in finding a nice getaway ship, unlike his sister who in which broke him out of prison." Karai said when noticing that the Aliens and the Mutants were getting up out from their seats, and figured out that Tiger Claw and his sister had hired some hit people to get rid both herself and April.
April noticed the same thing when after Karai had told Ron. "Well I thought we're just going to have a decent meal and have a heart to heart chat, but it looks like that's not going to happen tonight." She thought before eating her last piece of sushi.
"Ron, I have to call you back in the next hour. Me and April are going to be extremely busy at the moment." Karai pushed the end call button and then looked at April.
"Our ass's are in a situation." April looked serious when seeing a guy turning the close sign to the front.
"Yeah, it looks exactly like it. Two Mutants and Two Aliens in this room, while noticing about a few more in the back basing on seeing a few poking their heads at the window in the kitchen." Karai informed her before waiting for the right moment to strike.
"This is not what I have planned for today. But this is the career of NIB." April said before hearing a women who was the bar tender begin to scream, just when the alien pulled off his hooded and show bony spike hair and pulled out his blaster and took fire.
Just when the blast was about to make contact with its targets, both April and Karai flipped the table over and let it take the hit. When the whole table was scattered into pieces, April automatically pulled out her gun and headshot the guy who was now reduced into wet plasma. Karai open fired the toad female mutant who jumped up to the ceiling before the energy blast hit her, from her former spot and then stick her tongue at Karai's gun, and pulled out of her hands and put it in hers. She dropped down and was this close to killing Karai, if it weren't for being headshotted by Karai who has happened to have a spare blaster in her other pocket, and went to diving straight forward and picked right up to double shoot the other aliens and mutants from the back, while April had her back while too shooting at the front. Next the red bull like human charged straight at Karai full great speed, but Karai's reflexes was much quicker when jumping out of the way and holded on to the chandelier, while the guy crashed right into the kitchen and busted some glass. April quickly sprinted out from her spot when a purple alien from the booth was shooting right at her, as she back flipped herself out from the multiple shots and landed right into the bar where the Asian women was currently hiding from the fight and was shaking in fear.
"Just stay calm and stay down." April informed her when pulling out another gun from her side belt.
Next she jump flipped out of the bar section while the alien was trying to shoot her, but was tackled by her and got his head blown off with just one shot. "I'll meat you on the roof April." Karai informed her before making her way inside the kitchen with caution. April was quickly on her feet and ran up the wall and jumped over two more mutants and blow them away, by shooting them in the back and then dropped both guns and blocked a funny rocky shaped head alien, and flipped him down and twisted his arm, and dislocated his shoulder and hear his pain. "Hurts like hell doesn't it?." She asked him when letting him groan in pain while getting up to go grab her guns, and go join Karai on the roof while backup arrives. Just before even entering the kitchen she was rudely got whacked out by a huge tail fin, and was sent across the floor and hit the solid marble that was freshly installed in the building. She groaned in pure pain when slightly getting back on her feet, and then saw what caused her back pain in which was the now angry aggressive fish. The thing had his locked strongly on April with his red glowing eyes as it begin to growl dangerously.
"Oh, shit I'm so totally fuck." April said when trying to figure out how to escape form this situation.
Meanwhile Karai had loaded her gun to overkill before making her way up to the stairs, where the door to the roof was located. Now, the reason why she's on complete lockdown was finding Mr. Yang on ground dead with a blast hole in the front of his head, when his yellow blood was oozing down his face. Karai already knows who could have done this and know for a strong fact that, this was nothing more than a calling card form her very first arch enemy that had his mind on getting revenge. She made up the stairway and kicked the door open and had her gun pointing out, and was ready to fire that is until her gun was blasted out of her hands. She turned around and saw Tiger Claw standing on top of the roof of the door smiled evily.
"Hello Karai." Tiger Claw jumped down and still had his smile in place.
"Ah, Tiger Claw The Savage." Karai said with a blank face expression and was on guard in case something happens between the two.
Tiger Claw scolded at the last part of his name as it was so irritating and didn't like the nickname that was given to him. "I told you it's just Tiger Claw." He corrected her with a roar.
Karai can only smirk since she said his nickname on purpose just so she can irritate him. "Well it's been quite a while since the last time we throw down. I see your arm got replaced after I shot the original off, much less ripped your eye out with my katana blade."
"Yes, I have to replace it because of you Karai. I've always never forget that day when it happened as it never left my mind." Tiger Claw looked hard at his robotic arm before putting his blaster back into its pouch.
"Because of you I've never been the same. You traumatized me to the point I can no longer recover after what you did that faithful day." Karai currently now scolded hard at him on that memory.
While the two were catching up on old memory lane, April was trying not to have her head taken off while she currently was holding the fishes mouth that was blowing it's funky breath in her face, as the smell was terrible to not even tolerate it while trying to survive from being killed. The fish used it's strength to pull April behind him and cause her to hit the solid wall, and try to kill her then if it wasn't for him being all wet and slimy. April tried so hard to put down the thing, and meet up with Karai on the roof as soon as possible but sadly the super sized fish wasn't going to give up the fight. She thought real hard on how to this type of alien fish and do it fast before she looses her strength. The idea hit her head like an hammer hitting a nail, as she remembered that open gills was the open access to its heart, and instantly shoved her right hand in while the thing both growled and tried to bite her face off with much aggression.
"Come on it should be right...there!." April pulled the heart right out of its gills and instantly saw the fish go down in shock.
"The heart stops beating when it's removed from the body plus, leaving the fish into shock mode." April dropped the slimy heart down and take the time to catch her breath.
Rooftop...
"There's no point of you escaping from prison and then travel back home, so you can kill me for something that I did years ago. It will all go down the same way and you know it." Karai told him with great bitterness.
"That's what you think little girl." Tiger Claw slowly had his robotic hand on the gun beside him. "But I've had did a few changes this time that should've been a reality, but tonight I'm going pick up on where you and I had left off."
Karai was ready to throw her knife at his neck and to somehow take the other blaster from his left side, before he could end her life for good and then have regrets in life that she had the countless times of opportunity to prevent it, but just couldn't do it from the bottom of her heart with great reasoning. Tiger Claw quickly pulled out his gun and immediately shot at Karai, but then it was blocked by the door being wide open all thanks to April. The door was pulled off from its place since not only it was shot at, but also it was slightly rusting do to not being taken care of properly. Both Karai and April used the broken door to shield themselves from the incoming shots from Tiger Claw, as the two speed run backwards to find a way to get out of their situation.
"Where the hell have you been?." Karai asked while still holding on to the door.
"Fishing!." April replied with slight frustration while turning around to see that they were going near the edge.
Karai looked back before looking straight. "Let's run and jump."
"Alright!." April told her when the two immediately ran backwards to the edge and purposely fell right off, and still had the door in their hands to help slow their fall.
It helped out greatly when the door had stopped dead when being holded down, by how close the walls were and thus, made them hit the dirty alley pavement halfway roughly. The two layed down to catch their breaths after slightly screaming for their lives, but then had their attention on Tiger Claw who was watching them from the rooftop, and just only looked dead straight down at Karai.
"You don't know it yet Karai because you're already dead." He told her before turning away to leave before more agents come.
"Crazy ass Tony The Tiger looking mother fucker. Am I right?." April asked Karai when not hearing her response.
She looked over and saw something that she has never seen Karai had that look before. And that look was straight fear, much less drop a few tears from her eyes that was tears of regret and sorrow.
"Karai?. Are you okay buddy?." April asked now all worried now as this was now scaring her.