Akamatsuverse Love Ronin
- Thread starter Andrew Joshua Talon
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They moved along the snow covered ground, keeping their path unpredictable. They zigged and zagged, finally reaching another small forest. Along the way, Keitaro told them his codec number, which they could use via subvocalization to communicate with him silently.
Keitaro had to block out Yukari for a bit when she wouldnÆt shut up about how heÆd screwed everything up, and kept Nyamo on a private channel. It would make him less prone to strangling the mouthy woman.
ôSo, what all do you know about your students?ö Keitaro asked.
ôWell, Kagura and SakakiÆs abilities are physical in nature. TheyÆre both very fast, very strong, and very agile,ö Nyamo explained. Yukari hung back, officially ôguarding the rearö but in reality she was sulking.
ôI noticed that,ö Keitaro said. ôWolf and Cat, right?ö
Nyamo nodded. ôYesà Wasp, or Tomo as we know her, has boundless energy. Her stamina is unrealà She can also leap very far, almost flying.ö
ôOkayà The others?ö
ôWell, there was Yomi. She was TomoÆs best friend. She also has improved strength and agility, but she displayed the ability to influence the world around her with psychic force. Not telekinesis persay, but more like she could make invisible structures,ö Nyamo said.
Keitaro grimaced. ôRightà Any others?ö
ôWell, Ayumu, or Osaka as we called her, also had some psychic talents, but her main ability seemed to be her mind. She thinks in very different ways from normal people, multi-dimensionally you might say,ö Nyamo said. ôFinally, thereÆs Chiyo Mihama. A child prodigy.ö
ôKnow anything else about her?ö Keitaro asked. Nyamo shook her head.
ôNoà IÆm sorry, thatÆs all I know.ö She gestured back to Yukari. ôAnd all she would know, too.ö
Yukari flipped Nyamo off, and blew a raspberry.
ôNyaaahhh!ö
Nyamo snorted, and turned her attention back to Keitaro (who was trying not to laugh).
ôSo, tell me Roninà WhyÆd you get into this line of work?ö Nyamo asked, as they crept through the foliage. Keitaro shrugged.
ôWellà IÆm trying to get into Toudai, and a few years service seems like the way to do it,ö he said. He stopped behind a tree and scanned ahead. Nothing he could seeà But something felt wrong.
ôYeah, butà This sort of thing isnÆt for kids like that, is it?ö Nyamo said. Keitaro knelt down, and covered his head. Nyamo immediately followed suit, assuming he wouldnÆt do anything like that without good reasonà And the reason became obvious soon enough-An object flew overhead. Yukari slipped behind a tree, for once not blathering about anything. A rarity, Keitaro imagined, judging by NyamoÆs body language.
Her very nice body languageà Okay, cut that out! Mission first!
Keitaro zoomed in on the object with the HAITI-ATE, and his eyes widened behind the visor.
It vaguely resembled a cat, like an abstract take on it. Pointed ears and feet, large black eyes, a double-half-moon mouth just like a cat. However, it didnÆt have a tail, just two wavy arms that resembled tentacles. Tentacles that wiggled as it flew, almost silently.
It turned towards them, eyes widening. Nyamo grimaced.
öGreat, now what do we do?ö Yukari asked over the codec. öMaybe we can take it out.ö
öI donÆt think so,ö Keitaro replied. öWe donÆt need the troops looking for us right awayà What is it, anyway?ö
öLooks like one of ChiyoÆs machines,ö Nyamo replied.
öChiyo?ö
öCute little girl with pigtails. SheÆs a child prodigy, entered high school at the age of nine,ö Yukari explained. öI suspected she was a magical girl from the start-No normal little girl could be as smart as her!ö
The UAV, Keitaro guessed he could call it, flew lower, itÆs eyes glowing as though it was scanning them. ItÆs skin changed colors, and Keitaro immediately realized it had an active camouflage system of some sort.
Not good enough to fool the HAITI-ATE though.
öLooks like something she made for class once upon a time, a Father she called it,ö Yukari said.
öNo, that was Sakaki,ö Nyamo told her. öBut Chiyo apparently inspired heràö
öThat girl has serious issues,ö Yukari opined. öDamnit, why will that thing not go away?ö
The Father droneÆs eyes glowed again, and Keitaro heard a buzzing sound over the codec. He shut his down right away, but the two women he was with groaned.
ôOhhhà!ö
ôWhat is thisà?ö
Screw it, Keitaro decided. He stood up and fired the PP-2000 at the Father drone. He blew out itÆs eyes, and when it tried to evade he threw a grenade at it. KABOOM!
The pieces of the drone fell to the forest floor, and Keitaro turned to check on Yukari and Nyamo.
ôYou guys okay?ö He asked.
ôUghà Fine,ö Nyamo groaned. ôJust got a headacheàö
ôOwà That lousy machine! I ought toàö Yukari trailed off, and closed her visor.
öHuh? Yukari?ö Keitaro asked. Nyamo stood up straight, and her helmet visor closed as well.
ôUhà Guys? You okay?ö Keitaro tried. ôI-WOAH!ö He jumped back, narrowly avoiding a sword slash from one of the women. ôWhatÆs wrong-ARGH!ö He got hit in the back by Yukari, and was sent falling onto NyamoÆs blade. Fortunately for him, he was invulnerable-The sword stopped against his skin. He took hold of it, and threw himself to the side as Yukari tried to get him from behind again.
ôGah!ö He cried, and pulled out a stun grenade. He threw it, and dove for cover as it went off. BOOM!
He arose from his improvised cover, expecting to see the two women laid out unconscious. To his surprise though, both women had vanished.
Crapà! He switched his HAITI-ATE through all of itÆs visual scanning modes, and just barely managed to make the two women out as they bounced off. Keitaro hit his codec.
((BREEP BREEP))
ôColonel, this is Ronin! Yukari and Nyamo just flipped out and ran off!ö
öWe saw Roninà Shotakon thinks it might have had something to do with their suits,ö the Colonel replied. öNevertheless, you need to get to the main facility, quickly.ö
ôBut Colonel-!ö
öThatÆs an order, Ronin! You need to get out of there! Your position has probably already been compromised!ö
ôBut Colonel, Nyamo and Yukari are just civilians!ö
öPerhaps, but those suits will give them an edge over most of the opponents they might face. You can worry about them later Ronin, your mission needs to come first,ö the Colonel said.
Ronin sighed, and nodded. He rolled his neck nervously, and resumed his trek through the forest.
ôHowÆd they get their hands on those suits anyway?ö Ronin asked.
öShotakonÆs looking into that, tooà Though they donÆt seem to be Japanese made. Or American. ItÆs possible they snagged some of them on their way here.ö
ôSo the Russians have these suits?ö Ronin asked.
öThey mightà Just because you havenÆt encountered any soldiers wearing them doesnÆt mean they donÆt have them. Be careful,ö the Colonel ordered.
Keitaro nodded, and moved a bit more quickly. Through the trees ahead, he caught sight of the main facility. It was even bigger than the secondary factory heÆd just been in-Stretching up above the snow like a medieval castle in fairy tales.
He had entered a clearing only a little distance from the edge of the forest, when a voice spoke up from all around him.
ôYou've become a bit careless, Ronin...ö The air around him seemed to shift, and Keitaro swore he saw spider webs all over him, smothering him.
ôGack!ö He cried.
ôIt wasn't hard to track you, after your companions fled...ö The speaker descended from the trees above, supported by more of the strange webbing. She had long, brown hair and a curvy body barely concealed in a black body suit. A few red stripes here, and her goggles with eight glowing ôeyesö all made her resemble a black widow spider.
ôI'm impressed. I've caught anyone who snuck in here before in a much shorter amount of time...ö She said, crossing her arms underneath her large, round breasts.
ôOr with my help, right Spider? Right?!ö Cried a familiar voice. Keitaro was unable to turn his head, but he knew who it was. Spider groaned.
ôWasp!ö
Wasp herself buzzed above KeitaroÆs head, and landed next to and below Spider. She grinned widely, unaffected by the psychic threads.
ôWasp and Spider, huh? You're supposed to be a team?ö Keitaro asked, while mentally he began to consider how to get out of this.
ôYeah!ö Wasp cried happily. Spider snorted.
ôYeah. Me and loud, idiotic baggage.ö
ôThat's a remarkably poor choice of teammates,ö Keitaro noted. ôArenÆt spiders and wasps natural enemies?ö
ôTell me about it,ö Spider grumbled.
ôHA! She's just upset because her thighs went up a size,ö Wasp teased. YomiÆs face turned red in anger.
ôShut up, Wasp!ö
ôSorry, I couldn't hear you over them rubbing together-ACK!ö Wasp barely evaded a web shot with her wings. She now buzzed above Keitaro and scowled. ôSheesh! Touchy~!ö
Ronin looked around, and realized that he might have a way to throw off Spider's concentration.
ô...Well, I think they're nice,ö he said.
Spider blushed darkly.
ôYou... What?ö
ôYour legs, they're very attractive. Your suit shows off your whole body very nicely,ö Keitaro complimented her. SpiderÆs blush deepened.
ôOh... Really? You-You're not just saying that?ö
Keitaro shook his head, making sure he was looking right into SpiderÆs eyes when he said it. Wasp snorted, and flew down to sit on one of SpiderÆs lines of psychic force.
ôMaybe he's a chubby chaser!ö
ôI'm not just saying that, and I'm not a chubby-chaser!ö Keitaro insisted. He coughed, and regained his composure.
ôShe looks as nice as that Cat woman I had to fight earlier.ö
ôPfft,ö Wasp maturely replied.
öShut up Wasp,ö Yomi said. She leaned closer to Keitaro, looking intently into his eyes. ôYou really think that?ö
ôI really do,ö Keitaro said with a nod.
ôWellà Thanks...ö Spider gained a smile. ôWhat's a nice covert operative like you doing in a place like this, anyway?ö
ôCorny... EEP!ö Wasp was forced to dodge another web shot.
ôUm...you know, saving the world, rescuing cute girls from their teacher's phenomenally bad decisions,ö Keitaro said modestly.
ôMm?ö Spider asked. Oh Good, this one actually seemed reasonable--barring her loud friend.
ôOh, you mean Yukari-baby signing us up for this?ö Wasp asked. ôIt's not so bad... General Gamov's actually really nice! Says we remind him of his grandchildren.ö
ôWell, he is... Though most of our "education" consists of counter-insurgency and combat training,ö Spider said. Keitaro blinked, and decided to try another tact.
ôWell...are you even getting paid for your work?ö He asked. Spider nodded.
ôOh yes, very well, all going towards college.ö
ôAnd liposuction,ö Wasp taunted. Spider yanked her into Double Chop range with her webbing. ôITAI!ö
öShotakon, what weapons do I have?ö Ronin asked silently.
öYou have a spare tranq gun in a pouch on your left shoulder,ö he replied.
öWhen were you going to tell me that?!ö Ronin raged.
öWhen you needed it, of course!ö
Keitaro was suddenly very glad for the webbing-It kept him from banging his head against anything hard. He tugged gently on his bindingsà Yes! They seemed to be loosening. The more distracted Yomi got, the easier it was to move!
ôI see. That's very good. I'm trying to get into Toudai, myself,ö Keitaro said casually, as he began to slowly, very slowly, stretch his arms back.
ôEh? Toudai? Really? What are you going to do there?ö Wasp asked, rubbing her cheek from where Spider had hit her.
ôWell, I was thinking Archaeology...ö Keitaro said.
ôOooh... Like Indiana Jones?ö Wasp asked. She buzzed up close and wrapped her arms around his neck. ôTell me more...ö She purred to him, batting her eyes. Spider scowled.
ôWasp! What the hell?ö
ôWhat? You get to flirt with the captive but I don't?ö Wasp asked.
ôI-I was not flirting!ö
ôOh yeah? You haven't even called this in.ö
ôI was going to!ö
ôHa! Just because some guy likes your thunder thighs-ô Wasp taunted. Spider moved closer, seamlessly switching to another set of psychic weblines in order to get in close.
ôHIYAH!ö She cried, bopping Wasp on the head.
ôOWWW!ö Wasp cried.
ôI guess it's kind of like that,ö Keitaro allowed, continuing to play it smooth. ôAlong the way, I decided to boost my chances by joining the military for a tour or two.ö
ôHmph! I saw you... Looking at his crotch!ö Wasp said, smirking and ignoring KeitaroÆs further remarks. ôAdmit it, this whole celibacy thing's driving you nuts! The moment one guy compliments you, you're willing to drop your oversized panties!ö
ôWell, that's-SHUT UP WASP!ö Spider snarled. Keitaro cleared his throat, getting their attention back on his face.
ôYou shouldn't be so mean to your friend, you know. Jealousy is unbecoming,ö he told her.
ôJealousy?! Of what?!ö Wasp huffed.
ôGee, I wonder,ö Spider said dryly. She pushed her boobs up with her arms.
ôWell...look at her, she's gorgeous,ö Keitaro said. Spider preened.
ôWhat?! No she isn't!ö Wasp fumed.
ôI understand why you would be jealous, though...ö Keitaro went on. Spider blushed proudly, and posed a bit. ôMmm...ö
ôCat and Wolf are your friends too, right?ö Keitaro asked. Wasp growled at Spider, but nodded in response.
ôYeah...ö Tomo sighed.
ôBut hey...don't be ashamed. Or angry, or jealous. You're pretty cute too,ö Keitaro said with a smile. Wasp blushed.
ôAh? You really think so?ö She smirked. ô... Or are you just complimenting me in order to escape, hmmm?ö She pressed her face close to his. Keitaro blushed, but kept his cool.
ôYou're both very attractive, if you combined your efforts, you'd have boys falling to your feet wherever you went,ö he said.
ôAh... Really? What, as in... A threesome?ö Spider asked with a deep blush.
ôOoh... You're a pervert, Ronin,ö Wasp said. She grinned. ôI like that!ö
ôHehe... Wellàö Keitaro shrugged. He was getting closer, just a little moreà
ôGet off him...ö Spider said, and yanked Tomo away with a sigh. Wasp snorted.
ôLike you weren't thinking it, Spider.ö
ôHmph! TITTY TWISTER!ö Spider called.
ôACK! YOU BITCH!ö Wasp yelped. She jumped back onto Keitaro, and grinned at him.
ôYou know, we don't have to call you in for a little while~...ö
ôAh...?ö
Wasp closed the distance between their lips. ôMmmm~...ö
ôWASP!ö Spider gasped.
ôMmm...ö Keitaro went with it. He felt the psychic webbing failing.
ôMmmngh...ö Wasp, meanwhile, aggressively slid her tongue into his mouth and wagged it all around inside.
ôWasp, what are you doing?!ö Spider practically shrieked, her cheeks dark red.
ôMmmngh... Mwah... I should think that'd be obvious, Spider~...ö Wasp said, briefly breaking the lip lock to grin at her partner. She kissed him again.
ôMmmm...ö
Keitaro pulled away from the kiss, panting. ôW-Wow...ö
ôHaa... I'm way better at this than Yomi... She kisses like a fish,ö Wasp taunted.
ôI DO NOT!ö
ôWell, I need to see for myself.ö Keitaro said, as smoothly as he could.
ôAh?ö Spider blushed hard.
ôHeheh... I bet I'm a better kisser than you, Fat Spider~...ö Wasp went on with a wink. Spider saw red. She shoved Tomo out of the way.
ôBitch! I'll show you!ö She then gave Keitaro a toe curling kiss.
ôMmmm...ö
ôOooh...ö Wasp watched this, before she grinned. ôHeh... Guess I'll find something else to use my mouth on...ö
ôMmph?!ö Spider broke the kiss as Wasp hovered down, her face parallel with KeitaroÆs crotch.
ôH-Hey, wait a second Tomo!ö
ôOh quit being such a prude...ö Wasp huffed. She found the "panel" in Keitaro's suit that allowed him to relieve himself without having to undress completely, and opened it. Her face turned dark red.
ô... Oooh....ö
KeitaroÆs own face was bright red, but he managed to maintain his focus. The make-out session had allowed him to free his hand, and he got a hold of his spare tranq gun.
Two puffs, and both had been successfully hit with darts.
ô...Sorry,ö he said sincerely.
ôOhhh... Son of a...ö Wasp groaned. She fell, and bumped her head against his crotch.
ôGah!ö Keitaro cried. Ow...hard-headed...!
ôOhh... You... Liar...ö Spider moaned, almost sadly. She went limp. The weblines vanished, and Keitaro managed to catch her as they landed on the ground. He laid her down gently, and sighed as he made himself decent.
ô...For the record, I wasn't lying. You're both really hot,ö he said.
ôAh...ö Spider moaned, and slipped into unconsciousnessà But she did smile in her sleep.
ôHehehàö Wasp managed, before she conked out too. Keitaro sighed in relief.
((BREEP BREEP))
Keitaro kneeled down and activated his Codec.
ôRonin.ö
ôDude! How does this always happen to you?! It's just not fair!ö Shotakon whined.
ôEnough of that, Shotakon. At least he got free without being compromised,ö the Colonel said. Ronin winced.
ôThat was not as awesome as you'd think...ö
ôYeah, that headbutt looked unpleasant,ö Lennon said.
ôIt was,ö Ronin sighed.
ôHuh... You'd think you'd be this smooth in all stressful situations,ö Midas snorted.
ôActually that was my training. Very good job, Ronin, you kept your cool," Athena complimented.
ôThanks, I really almost lost it there, thoughà They're both really good kissers.ö
ôI'm not surprised... Shotakon, you're not reading a mess in Ronin's pants right now, are you?ö Midas joked. Ronin growled.
ôI'm a bit too soreàö
ôEnough. Ronin, get a move on. The main facility is a kilometer to the south-west of your position. You'll have to proceed without Nyamo and Yukari.ö
ôI can manage that. If you can get in contact with them, send them this way to pickup these girls,ö he said.
öRoger that,ö Shotakon said.
Keitaro had to block out Yukari for a bit when she wouldnÆt shut up about how heÆd screwed everything up, and kept Nyamo on a private channel. It would make him less prone to strangling the mouthy woman.
ôSo, what all do you know about your students?ö Keitaro asked.
ôWell, Kagura and SakakiÆs abilities are physical in nature. TheyÆre both very fast, very strong, and very agile,ö Nyamo explained. Yukari hung back, officially ôguarding the rearö but in reality she was sulking.
ôI noticed that,ö Keitaro said. ôWolf and Cat, right?ö
Nyamo nodded. ôYesà Wasp, or Tomo as we know her, has boundless energy. Her stamina is unrealà She can also leap very far, almost flying.ö
ôOkayà The others?ö
ôWell, there was Yomi. She was TomoÆs best friend. She also has improved strength and agility, but she displayed the ability to influence the world around her with psychic force. Not telekinesis persay, but more like she could make invisible structures,ö Nyamo said.
Keitaro grimaced. ôRightà Any others?ö
ôWell, Ayumu, or Osaka as we called her, also had some psychic talents, but her main ability seemed to be her mind. She thinks in very different ways from normal people, multi-dimensionally you might say,ö Nyamo said. ôFinally, thereÆs Chiyo Mihama. A child prodigy.ö
ôKnow anything else about her?ö Keitaro asked. Nyamo shook her head.
ôNoà IÆm sorry, thatÆs all I know.ö She gestured back to Yukari. ôAnd all she would know, too.ö
Yukari flipped Nyamo off, and blew a raspberry.
ôNyaaahhh!ö
Nyamo snorted, and turned her attention back to Keitaro (who was trying not to laugh).
ôSo, tell me Roninà WhyÆd you get into this line of work?ö Nyamo asked, as they crept through the foliage. Keitaro shrugged.
ôWellà IÆm trying to get into Toudai, and a few years service seems like the way to do it,ö he said. He stopped behind a tree and scanned ahead. Nothing he could seeà But something felt wrong.
ôYeah, butà This sort of thing isnÆt for kids like that, is it?ö Nyamo said. Keitaro knelt down, and covered his head. Nyamo immediately followed suit, assuming he wouldnÆt do anything like that without good reasonà And the reason became obvious soon enough-An object flew overhead. Yukari slipped behind a tree, for once not blathering about anything. A rarity, Keitaro imagined, judging by NyamoÆs body language.
Her very nice body languageà Okay, cut that out! Mission first!
Keitaro zoomed in on the object with the HAITI-ATE, and his eyes widened behind the visor.
It vaguely resembled a cat, like an abstract take on it. Pointed ears and feet, large black eyes, a double-half-moon mouth just like a cat. However, it didnÆt have a tail, just two wavy arms that resembled tentacles. Tentacles that wiggled as it flew, almost silently.
It turned towards them, eyes widening. Nyamo grimaced.
öGreat, now what do we do?ö Yukari asked over the codec. öMaybe we can take it out.ö
öI donÆt think so,ö Keitaro replied. öWe donÆt need the troops looking for us right awayà What is it, anyway?ö
öLooks like one of ChiyoÆs machines,ö Nyamo replied.
öChiyo?ö
öCute little girl with pigtails. SheÆs a child prodigy, entered high school at the age of nine,ö Yukari explained. öI suspected she was a magical girl from the start-No normal little girl could be as smart as her!ö
The UAV, Keitaro guessed he could call it, flew lower, itÆs eyes glowing as though it was scanning them. ItÆs skin changed colors, and Keitaro immediately realized it had an active camouflage system of some sort.
Not good enough to fool the HAITI-ATE though.
öLooks like something she made for class once upon a time, a Father she called it,ö Yukari said.
öNo, that was Sakaki,ö Nyamo told her. öBut Chiyo apparently inspired heràö
öThat girl has serious issues,ö Yukari opined. öDamnit, why will that thing not go away?ö
The Father droneÆs eyes glowed again, and Keitaro heard a buzzing sound over the codec. He shut his down right away, but the two women he was with groaned.
ôOhhhà!ö
ôWhat is thisà?ö
Screw it, Keitaro decided. He stood up and fired the PP-2000 at the Father drone. He blew out itÆs eyes, and when it tried to evade he threw a grenade at it. KABOOM!
The pieces of the drone fell to the forest floor, and Keitaro turned to check on Yukari and Nyamo.
ôYou guys okay?ö He asked.
ôUghà Fine,ö Nyamo groaned. ôJust got a headacheàö
ôOwà That lousy machine! I ought toàö Yukari trailed off, and closed her visor.
öHuh? Yukari?ö Keitaro asked. Nyamo stood up straight, and her helmet visor closed as well.
ôUhà Guys? You okay?ö Keitaro tried. ôI-WOAH!ö He jumped back, narrowly avoiding a sword slash from one of the women. ôWhatÆs wrong-ARGH!ö He got hit in the back by Yukari, and was sent falling onto NyamoÆs blade. Fortunately for him, he was invulnerable-The sword stopped against his skin. He took hold of it, and threw himself to the side as Yukari tried to get him from behind again.
ôGah!ö He cried, and pulled out a stun grenade. He threw it, and dove for cover as it went off. BOOM!
He arose from his improvised cover, expecting to see the two women laid out unconscious. To his surprise though, both women had vanished.
Crapà! He switched his HAITI-ATE through all of itÆs visual scanning modes, and just barely managed to make the two women out as they bounced off. Keitaro hit his codec.
((BREEP BREEP))
ôColonel, this is Ronin! Yukari and Nyamo just flipped out and ran off!ö
öWe saw Roninà Shotakon thinks it might have had something to do with their suits,ö the Colonel replied. öNevertheless, you need to get to the main facility, quickly.ö
ôBut Colonel-!ö
öThatÆs an order, Ronin! You need to get out of there! Your position has probably already been compromised!ö
ôBut Colonel, Nyamo and Yukari are just civilians!ö
öPerhaps, but those suits will give them an edge over most of the opponents they might face. You can worry about them later Ronin, your mission needs to come first,ö the Colonel said.
Ronin sighed, and nodded. He rolled his neck nervously, and resumed his trek through the forest.
ôHowÆd they get their hands on those suits anyway?ö Ronin asked.
öShotakonÆs looking into that, tooà Though they donÆt seem to be Japanese made. Or American. ItÆs possible they snagged some of them on their way here.ö
ôSo the Russians have these suits?ö Ronin asked.
öThey mightà Just because you havenÆt encountered any soldiers wearing them doesnÆt mean they donÆt have them. Be careful,ö the Colonel ordered.
Keitaro nodded, and moved a bit more quickly. Through the trees ahead, he caught sight of the main facility. It was even bigger than the secondary factory heÆd just been in-Stretching up above the snow like a medieval castle in fairy tales.
He had entered a clearing only a little distance from the edge of the forest, when a voice spoke up from all around him.
ôYou've become a bit careless, Ronin...ö The air around him seemed to shift, and Keitaro swore he saw spider webs all over him, smothering him.
ôGack!ö He cried.
ôIt wasn't hard to track you, after your companions fled...ö The speaker descended from the trees above, supported by more of the strange webbing. She had long, brown hair and a curvy body barely concealed in a black body suit. A few red stripes here, and her goggles with eight glowing ôeyesö all made her resemble a black widow spider.
ôI'm impressed. I've caught anyone who snuck in here before in a much shorter amount of time...ö She said, crossing her arms underneath her large, round breasts.
ôOr with my help, right Spider? Right?!ö Cried a familiar voice. Keitaro was unable to turn his head, but he knew who it was. Spider groaned.
ôWasp!ö
Wasp herself buzzed above KeitaroÆs head, and landed next to and below Spider. She grinned widely, unaffected by the psychic threads.
ôWasp and Spider, huh? You're supposed to be a team?ö Keitaro asked, while mentally he began to consider how to get out of this.
ôYeah!ö Wasp cried happily. Spider snorted.
ôYeah. Me and loud, idiotic baggage.ö
ôThat's a remarkably poor choice of teammates,ö Keitaro noted. ôArenÆt spiders and wasps natural enemies?ö
ôTell me about it,ö Spider grumbled.
ôHA! She's just upset because her thighs went up a size,ö Wasp teased. YomiÆs face turned red in anger.
ôShut up, Wasp!ö
ôSorry, I couldn't hear you over them rubbing together-ACK!ö Wasp barely evaded a web shot with her wings. She now buzzed above Keitaro and scowled. ôSheesh! Touchy~!ö
Ronin looked around, and realized that he might have a way to throw off Spider's concentration.
ô...Well, I think they're nice,ö he said.
Spider blushed darkly.
ôYou... What?ö
ôYour legs, they're very attractive. Your suit shows off your whole body very nicely,ö Keitaro complimented her. SpiderÆs blush deepened.
ôOh... Really? You-You're not just saying that?ö
Keitaro shook his head, making sure he was looking right into SpiderÆs eyes when he said it. Wasp snorted, and flew down to sit on one of SpiderÆs lines of psychic force.
ôMaybe he's a chubby chaser!ö
ôI'm not just saying that, and I'm not a chubby-chaser!ö Keitaro insisted. He coughed, and regained his composure.
ôShe looks as nice as that Cat woman I had to fight earlier.ö
ôPfft,ö Wasp maturely replied.
öShut up Wasp,ö Yomi said. She leaned closer to Keitaro, looking intently into his eyes. ôYou really think that?ö
ôI really do,ö Keitaro said with a nod.
ôWellà Thanks...ö Spider gained a smile. ôWhat's a nice covert operative like you doing in a place like this, anyway?ö
ôCorny... EEP!ö Wasp was forced to dodge another web shot.
ôUm...you know, saving the world, rescuing cute girls from their teacher's phenomenally bad decisions,ö Keitaro said modestly.
ôMm?ö Spider asked. Oh Good, this one actually seemed reasonable--barring her loud friend.
ôOh, you mean Yukari-baby signing us up for this?ö Wasp asked. ôIt's not so bad... General Gamov's actually really nice! Says we remind him of his grandchildren.ö
ôWell, he is... Though most of our "education" consists of counter-insurgency and combat training,ö Spider said. Keitaro blinked, and decided to try another tact.
ôWell...are you even getting paid for your work?ö He asked. Spider nodded.
ôOh yes, very well, all going towards college.ö
ôAnd liposuction,ö Wasp taunted. Spider yanked her into Double Chop range with her webbing. ôITAI!ö
öShotakon, what weapons do I have?ö Ronin asked silently.
öYou have a spare tranq gun in a pouch on your left shoulder,ö he replied.
öWhen were you going to tell me that?!ö Ronin raged.
öWhen you needed it, of course!ö
Keitaro was suddenly very glad for the webbing-It kept him from banging his head against anything hard. He tugged gently on his bindingsà Yes! They seemed to be loosening. The more distracted Yomi got, the easier it was to move!
ôI see. That's very good. I'm trying to get into Toudai, myself,ö Keitaro said casually, as he began to slowly, very slowly, stretch his arms back.
ôEh? Toudai? Really? What are you going to do there?ö Wasp asked, rubbing her cheek from where Spider had hit her.
ôWell, I was thinking Archaeology...ö Keitaro said.
ôOooh... Like Indiana Jones?ö Wasp asked. She buzzed up close and wrapped her arms around his neck. ôTell me more...ö She purred to him, batting her eyes. Spider scowled.
ôWasp! What the hell?ö
ôWhat? You get to flirt with the captive but I don't?ö Wasp asked.
ôI-I was not flirting!ö
ôOh yeah? You haven't even called this in.ö
ôI was going to!ö
ôHa! Just because some guy likes your thunder thighs-ô Wasp taunted. Spider moved closer, seamlessly switching to another set of psychic weblines in order to get in close.
ôHIYAH!ö She cried, bopping Wasp on the head.
ôOWWW!ö Wasp cried.
ôI guess it's kind of like that,ö Keitaro allowed, continuing to play it smooth. ôAlong the way, I decided to boost my chances by joining the military for a tour or two.ö
ôHmph! I saw you... Looking at his crotch!ö Wasp said, smirking and ignoring KeitaroÆs further remarks. ôAdmit it, this whole celibacy thing's driving you nuts! The moment one guy compliments you, you're willing to drop your oversized panties!ö
ôWell, that's-SHUT UP WASP!ö Spider snarled. Keitaro cleared his throat, getting their attention back on his face.
ôYou shouldn't be so mean to your friend, you know. Jealousy is unbecoming,ö he told her.
ôJealousy?! Of what?!ö Wasp huffed.
ôGee, I wonder,ö Spider said dryly. She pushed her boobs up with her arms.
ôWell...look at her, she's gorgeous,ö Keitaro said. Spider preened.
ôWhat?! No she isn't!ö Wasp fumed.
ôI understand why you would be jealous, though...ö Keitaro went on. Spider blushed proudly, and posed a bit. ôMmm...ö
ôCat and Wolf are your friends too, right?ö Keitaro asked. Wasp growled at Spider, but nodded in response.
ôYeah...ö Tomo sighed.
ôBut hey...don't be ashamed. Or angry, or jealous. You're pretty cute too,ö Keitaro said with a smile. Wasp blushed.
ôAh? You really think so?ö She smirked. ô... Or are you just complimenting me in order to escape, hmmm?ö She pressed her face close to his. Keitaro blushed, but kept his cool.
ôYou're both very attractive, if you combined your efforts, you'd have boys falling to your feet wherever you went,ö he said.
ôAh... Really? What, as in... A threesome?ö Spider asked with a deep blush.
ôOoh... You're a pervert, Ronin,ö Wasp said. She grinned. ôI like that!ö
ôHehe... Wellàö Keitaro shrugged. He was getting closer, just a little moreà
ôGet off him...ö Spider said, and yanked Tomo away with a sigh. Wasp snorted.
ôLike you weren't thinking it, Spider.ö
ôHmph! TITTY TWISTER!ö Spider called.
ôACK! YOU BITCH!ö Wasp yelped. She jumped back onto Keitaro, and grinned at him.
ôYou know, we don't have to call you in for a little while~...ö
ôAh...?ö
Wasp closed the distance between their lips. ôMmmm~...ö
ôWASP!ö Spider gasped.
ôMmm...ö Keitaro went with it. He felt the psychic webbing failing.
ôMmmngh...ö Wasp, meanwhile, aggressively slid her tongue into his mouth and wagged it all around inside.
ôWasp, what are you doing?!ö Spider practically shrieked, her cheeks dark red.
ôMmmngh... Mwah... I should think that'd be obvious, Spider~...ö Wasp said, briefly breaking the lip lock to grin at her partner. She kissed him again.
ôMmmm...ö
Keitaro pulled away from the kiss, panting. ôW-Wow...ö
ôHaa... I'm way better at this than Yomi... She kisses like a fish,ö Wasp taunted.
ôI DO NOT!ö
ôWell, I need to see for myself.ö Keitaro said, as smoothly as he could.
ôAh?ö Spider blushed hard.
ôHeheh... I bet I'm a better kisser than you, Fat Spider~...ö Wasp went on with a wink. Spider saw red. She shoved Tomo out of the way.
ôBitch! I'll show you!ö She then gave Keitaro a toe curling kiss.
ôMmmm...ö
ôOooh...ö Wasp watched this, before she grinned. ôHeh... Guess I'll find something else to use my mouth on...ö
ôMmph?!ö Spider broke the kiss as Wasp hovered down, her face parallel with KeitaroÆs crotch.
ôH-Hey, wait a second Tomo!ö
ôOh quit being such a prude...ö Wasp huffed. She found the "panel" in Keitaro's suit that allowed him to relieve himself without having to undress completely, and opened it. Her face turned dark red.
ô... Oooh....ö
KeitaroÆs own face was bright red, but he managed to maintain his focus. The make-out session had allowed him to free his hand, and he got a hold of his spare tranq gun.
Two puffs, and both had been successfully hit with darts.
ô...Sorry,ö he said sincerely.
ôOhhh... Son of a...ö Wasp groaned. She fell, and bumped her head against his crotch.
ôGah!ö Keitaro cried. Ow...hard-headed...!
ôOhh... You... Liar...ö Spider moaned, almost sadly. She went limp. The weblines vanished, and Keitaro managed to catch her as they landed on the ground. He laid her down gently, and sighed as he made himself decent.
ô...For the record, I wasn't lying. You're both really hot,ö he said.
ôAh...ö Spider moaned, and slipped into unconsciousnessà But she did smile in her sleep.
ôHehehàö Wasp managed, before she conked out too. Keitaro sighed in relief.
((BREEP BREEP))
Keitaro kneeled down and activated his Codec.
ôRonin.ö
ôDude! How does this always happen to you?! It's just not fair!ö Shotakon whined.
ôEnough of that, Shotakon. At least he got free without being compromised,ö the Colonel said. Ronin winced.
ôThat was not as awesome as you'd think...ö
ôYeah, that headbutt looked unpleasant,ö Lennon said.
ôIt was,ö Ronin sighed.
ôHuh... You'd think you'd be this smooth in all stressful situations,ö Midas snorted.
ôActually that was my training. Very good job, Ronin, you kept your cool," Athena complimented.
ôThanks, I really almost lost it there, thoughà They're both really good kissers.ö
ôI'm not surprised... Shotakon, you're not reading a mess in Ronin's pants right now, are you?ö Midas joked. Ronin growled.
ôI'm a bit too soreàö
ôEnough. Ronin, get a move on. The main facility is a kilometer to the south-west of your position. You'll have to proceed without Nyamo and Yukari.ö
ôI can manage that. If you can get in contact with them, send them this way to pickup these girls,ö he said.
öRoger that,ö Shotakon said.
And now, some more.
- - - - - - -
The trek along the snow to the main facility was no less dangerous and risky than before. Keitaro resorted to curling up in a ball and adjusting his camouflage to try and beat the Fathers, which continued to fly recon over the area. It was good they flew low, otherwise he'd never know if they had him in their sights.
Unless they knew he was there the whole time, and these flights were just to make him think he hadn't been detected...
Now now, there is such a thing as too much paranoia, even here, he thought. He came over a ridge, and dropped down to crawl to the top of it. He now overlooked the road that he'd dismissed as too dangerous a means of entry before. As expected, it was crawling with guards, and he spotted a few more Fathers flying cover.
((BREEP BREEP))
"We see the same thing as you, Ronin... We're working on it," Shotakon said. "Just stay cool..."
"Not exactly hard to do in this weather," Ronin quipped.
((BREEP BREEP))
"Ronin."
"You need to get on the next truck," a digitally distorted voice said. Keitaro blinked-The channel ID said it was...
"Nyamo?"
"Yes... Don't worry, I'm causing a distraction. Get on the truck," Nyamo ordered.
"What happened to your voice?" Ronin asked.
"No time. Get on the truck!"
"HEY! What's going on-AUGH!"
Keitaro looked down, and his eyes widened. Nyamo, in her silver skinned suit, had jumped down and begun an attack. She slashed apart soldiers' guns with ease, and backflipped out of the way of return fire. A truck came up the road, but the moment the driver saw the chaos ahead, he hit the gas hard.
Keitaro pulled up into a crouch, took a deep breath, and leaped off the edge of the rise, falling down and landing on the roof of the truck. He managed to use his ki to redirect his momentum, sending him flying to the back of the truck.
With an artful grab, he swung himself into the back, landing as silently as a cat amid the many boxes of supplies. He looked out the rear of the truck, watching Nyamo continue to fight furiously.
"Nyamo, I'm aboard... Thank you," he sub-vocalized.
The woman leaped up high, onto the ridge Keitaro had hidden on. She raced off into the night.
"You are welcome," she spoke.
"What happened to you two?" Keitaro asked.
"Not sure... We ran off for a little while, but then we woke up some distance away. Yukari's gone off to provide another distraction, back traffic up. We'll meet up with you at the main building."
"How are you going to get in?" Keitaro asked.
"Don't worry about us. You have your job, we have ours," she said.
"Don't forget to check on Spider and Wasp... Yomi and Tomo... I knocked them out in the woods where we were caught by the Father," Keitaro reminded her.
"Understood. Take care of yourself, O-Ronin."
"You too," Keitaro replied.
The truck continued driving almost wildly. The driver was still panicking. A newbie, Keitaro guessed. They hit a tight turn and Keitaro was thrown into the side of the truck.
"Oof!"
He slumped on the floor, and one of the open boxes landed on top of him. "Gah!"
The truck charged on ahead, and Keitaro felt it break through a barrier. It turned on it's side and smashed into something big and heavy, and Keitaro was sent tumbling out.
"Owww..."
((BREEP BREEP))
"Ronin! Ronin, you all right?" Asked Shotakon. "Ronin!"
"I'm fine," Ronin muttered. At the sound of approaching footsteps, he pulled his legs into the box and laid perfectly still. A ki sense check gave him six troops... And two dogs.
Shit...
"The driver's been hurt, but he's okay."
One of the dogs began barking, and Keitaro held his breath.
"Eh? What is it boy? Hm?" The guard reached down, and moved a box on top of Keitaro's. Keitaro got a grip on his tranq gun.
"Oh... Steaks!" He picked one of many items on the box Keitaro was hiding in and handed it over to the dog. "Yeah, this is what you wanted, huh? Come on, let's get cleaning this up..."
Keitaro didn't breath until the guards moved off, and then slowly, very slowly, began crawling with the box over his head as cover. Anytime he sensed a guard's attention wandering towards his box, he froze. In the confusion of the cleanup, as more workers came onto the scene, Ronin slipped away into one of the locker rooms just off the main courtyard. He sneaked carefully, until he finally reached an inauspicious looking closet and hit his codec.
((BREEP BREEP))
"Ronin, you all right?" Athena asked.
"I'm fine... And I'm in the main facility," Ronin replied.
"Good... Had us worried there for a moment," the Colonel said. Keitaro smiled.
"I'm good... All right, how do I get to the main computer core of this place?"
"We're outlining the best route to get there... However, it'll take you through the main hangar of this facility," Shotakon said. "So be careful, Ronin."
"Always am," he said. He checked with his ki senses-Empty hallway outside. Good. Keeping the box on him, he sneaked carefully out of the closet and through the doorway.
"Ah, Ronin... Why are you wearing a box?" Shotakon asked.
"Well... It kept me hidden before... Might come in handy later," Ronin reasoned. "Besides, I feel really comfortable in here... Like I'm safe. Inside my box."
"... Riiight," Shotakon said. In the background, Keitaro heard some debate.
"Are you sure he's okay? I mean, he might've taken a hard hit to the head or something..."
"Maybe kissing two girls at once made him loopy?"
"Look, he's in the facility, that's all that matters, now focus on that! If he feels comfortable in the box, and it lets him get around, then there is no need to argue about it," Athena finished.
"Yes ma'am," Lennon, Midas and Shotakon all chorused. The Colonel chuckled.
"Keep up the good work, Ronin."
"Yes sir..." Ronin said with a smile.
- - - - - - -
The trek along the snow to the main facility was no less dangerous and risky than before. Keitaro resorted to curling up in a ball and adjusting his camouflage to try and beat the Fathers, which continued to fly recon over the area. It was good they flew low, otherwise he'd never know if they had him in their sights.
Unless they knew he was there the whole time, and these flights were just to make him think he hadn't been detected...
Now now, there is such a thing as too much paranoia, even here, he thought. He came over a ridge, and dropped down to crawl to the top of it. He now overlooked the road that he'd dismissed as too dangerous a means of entry before. As expected, it was crawling with guards, and he spotted a few more Fathers flying cover.
((BREEP BREEP))
"We see the same thing as you, Ronin... We're working on it," Shotakon said. "Just stay cool..."
"Not exactly hard to do in this weather," Ronin quipped.
((BREEP BREEP))
"Ronin."
"You need to get on the next truck," a digitally distorted voice said. Keitaro blinked-The channel ID said it was...
"Nyamo?"
"Yes... Don't worry, I'm causing a distraction. Get on the truck," Nyamo ordered.
"What happened to your voice?" Ronin asked.
"No time. Get on the truck!"
"HEY! What's going on-AUGH!"
Keitaro looked down, and his eyes widened. Nyamo, in her silver skinned suit, had jumped down and begun an attack. She slashed apart soldiers' guns with ease, and backflipped out of the way of return fire. A truck came up the road, but the moment the driver saw the chaos ahead, he hit the gas hard.
Keitaro pulled up into a crouch, took a deep breath, and leaped off the edge of the rise, falling down and landing on the roof of the truck. He managed to use his ki to redirect his momentum, sending him flying to the back of the truck.
With an artful grab, he swung himself into the back, landing as silently as a cat amid the many boxes of supplies. He looked out the rear of the truck, watching Nyamo continue to fight furiously.
"Nyamo, I'm aboard... Thank you," he sub-vocalized.
The woman leaped up high, onto the ridge Keitaro had hidden on. She raced off into the night.
"You are welcome," she spoke.
"What happened to you two?" Keitaro asked.
"Not sure... We ran off for a little while, but then we woke up some distance away. Yukari's gone off to provide another distraction, back traffic up. We'll meet up with you at the main building."
"How are you going to get in?" Keitaro asked.
"Don't worry about us. You have your job, we have ours," she said.
"Don't forget to check on Spider and Wasp... Yomi and Tomo... I knocked them out in the woods where we were caught by the Father," Keitaro reminded her.
"Understood. Take care of yourself, O-Ronin."
"You too," Keitaro replied.
The truck continued driving almost wildly. The driver was still panicking. A newbie, Keitaro guessed. They hit a tight turn and Keitaro was thrown into the side of the truck.
"Oof!"
He slumped on the floor, and one of the open boxes landed on top of him. "Gah!"
The truck charged on ahead, and Keitaro felt it break through a barrier. It turned on it's side and smashed into something big and heavy, and Keitaro was sent tumbling out.
"Owww..."
((BREEP BREEP))
"Ronin! Ronin, you all right?" Asked Shotakon. "Ronin!"
"I'm fine," Ronin muttered. At the sound of approaching footsteps, he pulled his legs into the box and laid perfectly still. A ki sense check gave him six troops... And two dogs.
Shit...
"The driver's been hurt, but he's okay."
One of the dogs began barking, and Keitaro held his breath.
"Eh? What is it boy? Hm?" The guard reached down, and moved a box on top of Keitaro's. Keitaro got a grip on his tranq gun.
"Oh... Steaks!" He picked one of many items on the box Keitaro was hiding in and handed it over to the dog. "Yeah, this is what you wanted, huh? Come on, let's get cleaning this up..."
Keitaro didn't breath until the guards moved off, and then slowly, very slowly, began crawling with the box over his head as cover. Anytime he sensed a guard's attention wandering towards his box, he froze. In the confusion of the cleanup, as more workers came onto the scene, Ronin slipped away into one of the locker rooms just off the main courtyard. He sneaked carefully, until he finally reached an inauspicious looking closet and hit his codec.
((BREEP BREEP))
"Ronin, you all right?" Athena asked.
"I'm fine... And I'm in the main facility," Ronin replied.
"Good... Had us worried there for a moment," the Colonel said. Keitaro smiled.
"I'm good... All right, how do I get to the main computer core of this place?"
"We're outlining the best route to get there... However, it'll take you through the main hangar of this facility," Shotakon said. "So be careful, Ronin."
"Always am," he said. He checked with his ki senses-Empty hallway outside. Good. Keeping the box on him, he sneaked carefully out of the closet and through the doorway.
"Ah, Ronin... Why are you wearing a box?" Shotakon asked.
"Well... It kept me hidden before... Might come in handy later," Ronin reasoned. "Besides, I feel really comfortable in here... Like I'm safe. Inside my box."
"... Riiight," Shotakon said. In the background, Keitaro heard some debate.
"Are you sure he's okay? I mean, he might've taken a hard hit to the head or something..."
"Maybe kissing two girls at once made him loopy?"
"Look, he's in the facility, that's all that matters, now focus on that! If he feels comfortable in the box, and it lets him get around, then there is no need to argue about it," Athena finished.
"Yes ma'am," Lennon, Midas and Shotakon all chorused. The Colonel chuckled.
"Keep up the good work, Ronin."
"Yes sir..." Ronin said with a smile.
And now, the final part of Chapter 3.
- - - - - - -
Keitaro took back what heÆd said about the cardboard box before. He was able to get through the hallways without anyone paying him any mind. It was unreal, actually. Well, until he got to a security checkpoint. Namely, the security checkpoint before the hallway to the main hanger.
ôHey! Who left that box there?ö One of the guards demanded. Keitaro grimaced, and stopped against the corner.
Greatà Knew it couldnÆt last, he thought. ôShotakon?ö
öI can get the doors openà You just need to use one of the guardÆs keycards,ö Shotakon said.
ôRightàö
The guard in question approached the box, and kicked it. Keitaro didnÆt make a sound. His HAITI-ATE vision let him see that they were outside the view of the security cameras, just around the corner.
ôHuh?ö
Keitaro rose up, faster than a normal human could react, and shot the guard with a tranq dart. He covered his mouth immediately, and pulled him into the nearest room-Fortunately for Keitaro, it was another storage closet.
ôEh? Denis!ö His buddy called. ôDenis!ö
Keitaro yanked the card off of DenisÆ uniform, and waited. His fellow guard, rather than do the prudent thing and sound the alarm, came around the corner too. Keitaro immediately grabbed him in a sleeper hold and held on until he stopped struggling. Dropping both guards, Keitaro stripped the one closest to his size, and pulled on his uniform.
öAny idea why they wear balaclavas inside?ö Ronin asked Midas.
öNot really sureà Then again, the interior of the building has to be fairly cold,ö Midas suggested.
öWho cares? We have a way in,ö Lennon said. öGet going Ronin!ö
öRightàö
Keitaro exited the storage closet, and entered the hallway. He rushed up underneath the nearest camera as it pointed away, and used the keycard. The doors opened, and he entered another long hallway.
öManà There are a lot of long hallways,ö Keitaro opined over the codec. öAt the same timeàWhat theà?!ö
öRonin? Ronin, what is it?ö Shotakon asked. Keitaro groaned-The whole hallway seemed to be twisting and churning, like looking at the inside of an undulating earthworm. The colors changed rapidly, and Ronin felt himself become sick.
ôThe hallwayà Am I going insaneà?ö He groaned, sliding to his knees.
öRonin! Ronin, snap out of it! Ronin!ö The Colonel shouted. öShotakon, Lennon, what is it?!ö
We need more information! Ronin! RONIN! WhatÆs going on?ö Shouted Shotakon. Ronin groaned again, trying to get a grip on the wall of the hallway but staring in horror as his hands seemed to melt away.
ôOh Godà EverythingÆsà ItÆs insaneà!ö His liver and intestines seemed to be emerging from his stomach, and he saw the insides of his bone marrow. His brain jiggled and twisted, everything making his head hurt. He was going to throw upà!
ôThe corridorà ItÆsà ItÆs messing with my head!ö Keitaro moaned. Everything was completely upside-down, inside outà!
öRONIN! Close your eyes!ö Athena ordered, and Keitaro, per his training, obeyed. His eyes shut, and everything seemed to stop.
ôHaaà Haaà Haaàö He panted for breath. ôWhaà What was that?ö
öHolographic illusions,ö Shotakon decided. öWeÆre running through the HAITI-ATEÆs recording data in different wavelengthsà ItÆs actually pretty insidious. You can only see it in normal visible light.ö
öSo, close your eyes and you are fine,ö Athena said. öNow, Ronin, focus your ki sensesà Feel it flow through youàö
ôR-Rightà Flowàö Ronin took deep breaths, allowing himself to feel it. His energy responded, and a map of the hallway emerged in his mind. Carefully, he stood up and walked, using his ki to guide his steps.
öPretty intenseà Only if you closed your eyes could you keep yourself from going insane or otherwise being neutralized,ö Shotakon said.
öStay on your guard, Ronin. This feels like a trap,ö the Colonel said.
ôRoger that,ö Ronin murmured. He turned a corner, and walked towards what seemed to be a large door.
öJust use your keycard on that, Ronin, and you can enter,ö Shotakon said. öWeÆll let you know when itÆs safe to open your eyes.ö
Keitaro managed to find the keycard port, and slipped it in. The large double doors opened, and Keitaro stepped forward. A bit of ki sonar revealed he was in a large, open area filled with people and machines.
öOkay, go ahead Ronin,ö Lennon said.
Keitaro opened his eyesà And they grew wider.
In the center of the massive hanger sat a giant, black monster. Supported by umbilical cords and large docking frames, the monster appeared dormant, restrained even. It did not diminish the threatening appearance of this metallic monstrosity though. Four large legs supported a massive, crab-like carapace, sharp and angular with two giant, red eyes Keitaro assumed were optic sensors of some sort. The legs themselves were armored and ended in large, mechanical claws, but a closer look and Keitaro could see these legs concealed gigantic treads, as for a tank. The carapace was decorated in weapons-Missile cells, gatling guns in turrets that appeared to be mounted on extendable tentacles, laser turrets like those of a naval warshipà
Behind the monster sat what looked like its abdomen, giving the thing the look of a giant spider. This section was supported by what looked like a ground-effect skirt, as in a hovercraft. Mounted on the top of it sat a single turret, housing a long gun barrel.
Workers were all over the massive machines, fine tuning, checking, welding. Father drones flew to and fro overhead, carrying equipment.
ôShotakonà Lennonà?ö Keitaro murmured softly. ôWhatà What is this?ö
ôItÆs called Svarog,ö said a girlÆs voice, and Ronin turned to see a lithe, smiling girl. She was Japanese too, with short brown hair that only came to just above her shoulders, and her eyes were warm brown through a raccoon-like mask. She wore a white shirt, over which was a black jacket and matching skirt.
ôHuhà?ö
ôYouÆre right on time, Ronin-san,ö she said. ôYou made it through my trap very nicely. I guess Pandas ainÆt all that great at setting trapsà But itÆs all right. It wasnÆt a trapà More like a test.ö
ôA testà?ö Ronin asked, backing away.
ôYes onii-chanà And you passed with flying colors.ö
Keitaro spun around, jaw dropping.
ôWhaà Kanakoà?ö He shook his head at the sight of his adopted sister, flanked on either side by Yukari and Nyamo. ôItà This is another illusion!ö
Kanako smiled softly, and shook her head.
ôYouÆre right, onii-chanà I amàö
Keitaro was assaulted from behind, and put into the sleeper hold. He struggled, but Yukari and Nyamo moved forward to restrain him.
ôHURK! GRRGH!ö
ôBut IÆm not, onii-chanà Sleep now,ö she whispered. Keitaro felt the prick of a needle in his neck, and the world quickly went dark. All he could hear as he went under were the sounds of his support team screaming.
öRonin?! Ronin, whatÆs wrong?! RONIN! RONINNNNNNNNN!!!ö
Then everything went black.
- - - - - - -
Keitaro took back what heÆd said about the cardboard box before. He was able to get through the hallways without anyone paying him any mind. It was unreal, actually. Well, until he got to a security checkpoint. Namely, the security checkpoint before the hallway to the main hanger.
ôHey! Who left that box there?ö One of the guards demanded. Keitaro grimaced, and stopped against the corner.
Greatà Knew it couldnÆt last, he thought. ôShotakon?ö
öI can get the doors openà You just need to use one of the guardÆs keycards,ö Shotakon said.
ôRightàö
The guard in question approached the box, and kicked it. Keitaro didnÆt make a sound. His HAITI-ATE vision let him see that they were outside the view of the security cameras, just around the corner.
ôHuh?ö
Keitaro rose up, faster than a normal human could react, and shot the guard with a tranq dart. He covered his mouth immediately, and pulled him into the nearest room-Fortunately for Keitaro, it was another storage closet.
ôEh? Denis!ö His buddy called. ôDenis!ö
Keitaro yanked the card off of DenisÆ uniform, and waited. His fellow guard, rather than do the prudent thing and sound the alarm, came around the corner too. Keitaro immediately grabbed him in a sleeper hold and held on until he stopped struggling. Dropping both guards, Keitaro stripped the one closest to his size, and pulled on his uniform.
öAny idea why they wear balaclavas inside?ö Ronin asked Midas.
öNot really sureà Then again, the interior of the building has to be fairly cold,ö Midas suggested.
öWho cares? We have a way in,ö Lennon said. öGet going Ronin!ö
öRightàö
Keitaro exited the storage closet, and entered the hallway. He rushed up underneath the nearest camera as it pointed away, and used the keycard. The doors opened, and he entered another long hallway.
öManà There are a lot of long hallways,ö Keitaro opined over the codec. öAt the same timeàWhat theà?!ö
öRonin? Ronin, what is it?ö Shotakon asked. Keitaro groaned-The whole hallway seemed to be twisting and churning, like looking at the inside of an undulating earthworm. The colors changed rapidly, and Ronin felt himself become sick.
ôThe hallwayà Am I going insaneà?ö He groaned, sliding to his knees.
öRonin! Ronin, snap out of it! Ronin!ö The Colonel shouted. öShotakon, Lennon, what is it?!ö
We need more information! Ronin! RONIN! WhatÆs going on?ö Shouted Shotakon. Ronin groaned again, trying to get a grip on the wall of the hallway but staring in horror as his hands seemed to melt away.
ôOh Godà EverythingÆsà ItÆs insaneà!ö His liver and intestines seemed to be emerging from his stomach, and he saw the insides of his bone marrow. His brain jiggled and twisted, everything making his head hurt. He was going to throw upà!
ôThe corridorà ItÆsà ItÆs messing with my head!ö Keitaro moaned. Everything was completely upside-down, inside outà!
öRONIN! Close your eyes!ö Athena ordered, and Keitaro, per his training, obeyed. His eyes shut, and everything seemed to stop.
ôHaaà Haaà Haaàö He panted for breath. ôWhaà What was that?ö
öHolographic illusions,ö Shotakon decided. öWeÆre running through the HAITI-ATEÆs recording data in different wavelengthsà ItÆs actually pretty insidious. You can only see it in normal visible light.ö
öSo, close your eyes and you are fine,ö Athena said. öNow, Ronin, focus your ki sensesà Feel it flow through youàö
ôR-Rightà Flowàö Ronin took deep breaths, allowing himself to feel it. His energy responded, and a map of the hallway emerged in his mind. Carefully, he stood up and walked, using his ki to guide his steps.
öPretty intenseà Only if you closed your eyes could you keep yourself from going insane or otherwise being neutralized,ö Shotakon said.
öStay on your guard, Ronin. This feels like a trap,ö the Colonel said.
ôRoger that,ö Ronin murmured. He turned a corner, and walked towards what seemed to be a large door.
öJust use your keycard on that, Ronin, and you can enter,ö Shotakon said. öWeÆll let you know when itÆs safe to open your eyes.ö
Keitaro managed to find the keycard port, and slipped it in. The large double doors opened, and Keitaro stepped forward. A bit of ki sonar revealed he was in a large, open area filled with people and machines.
öOkay, go ahead Ronin,ö Lennon said.
Keitaro opened his eyesà And they grew wider.
In the center of the massive hanger sat a giant, black monster. Supported by umbilical cords and large docking frames, the monster appeared dormant, restrained even. It did not diminish the threatening appearance of this metallic monstrosity though. Four large legs supported a massive, crab-like carapace, sharp and angular with two giant, red eyes Keitaro assumed were optic sensors of some sort. The legs themselves were armored and ended in large, mechanical claws, but a closer look and Keitaro could see these legs concealed gigantic treads, as for a tank. The carapace was decorated in weapons-Missile cells, gatling guns in turrets that appeared to be mounted on extendable tentacles, laser turrets like those of a naval warshipà
Behind the monster sat what looked like its abdomen, giving the thing the look of a giant spider. This section was supported by what looked like a ground-effect skirt, as in a hovercraft. Mounted on the top of it sat a single turret, housing a long gun barrel.
Workers were all over the massive machines, fine tuning, checking, welding. Father drones flew to and fro overhead, carrying equipment.
ôShotakonà Lennonà?ö Keitaro murmured softly. ôWhatà What is this?ö
ôItÆs called Svarog,ö said a girlÆs voice, and Ronin turned to see a lithe, smiling girl. She was Japanese too, with short brown hair that only came to just above her shoulders, and her eyes were warm brown through a raccoon-like mask. She wore a white shirt, over which was a black jacket and matching skirt.
ôHuhà?ö
ôYouÆre right on time, Ronin-san,ö she said. ôYou made it through my trap very nicely. I guess Pandas ainÆt all that great at setting trapsà But itÆs all right. It wasnÆt a trapà More like a test.ö
ôA testà?ö Ronin asked, backing away.
ôYes onii-chanà And you passed with flying colors.ö
Keitaro spun around, jaw dropping.
ôWhaà Kanakoà?ö He shook his head at the sight of his adopted sister, flanked on either side by Yukari and Nyamo. ôItà This is another illusion!ö
Kanako smiled softly, and shook her head.
ôYouÆre right, onii-chanà I amàö
Keitaro was assaulted from behind, and put into the sleeper hold. He struggled, but Yukari and Nyamo moved forward to restrain him.
ôHURK! GRRGH!ö
ôBut IÆm not, onii-chanà Sleep now,ö she whispered. Keitaro felt the prick of a needle in his neck, and the world quickly went dark. All he could hear as he went under were the sounds of his support team screaming.
öRonin?! Ronin, whatÆs wrong?! RONIN! RONINNNNNNNNN!!!ö
Then everything went black.
Argh... I really should take a break, play some PS3, but I can't stop writing.
Somebody write an omake or something so I can relax for a while, huh?
After this.
- - - - - - -
Ugh...
Keitaro fought off the side effects of the drug, slowly rising back to consciousness. He groaned softly, and opened his eyes.
He took stock of the situation. He was bound to a table. There was a bright light in his eyes.
... He was naked.
Uh oh...
The table rotated, and Keitaro got a quick look around at his surroundings. He was in some kind of circular lab. That girl from before sat behind a control panel, blowing bubbles.
"Hello onii-chan."
"Kana-chan?!" Keitaro asked. "You... Why...?" He looked around. Just his luck, Yukari and Nyamo were standing there. Their faceplates were open, revealing blank stares.
"I'm sure you have a lot of questions," Kanako began.
"To say the least!" Keitaro said.
"Well, I'll answer the obvious... But first..." She backed away. "Osaka, begin the procedure. Ladies, come along."
Yukari and Nyamo followed... Though Keitaro noticed they both stared over their shoulders at him as they left. He tried to fight his blush, but he failed.
The double doors sealed, and Osaka pulled a large, dramatic looking switch.
"Ah, hey, wait a minute, can't we talk about-?" Keitaro tried, just before his world was filled with light... And pain.
"AAARRRGGGGHHHHH!!!"
The pain seemed to go on and on, and he convulsed, violently yanking against his restraints. The agony seemed to increase by an order of magnitude... Before it stopped. He slumped in his restraints, breathing hard.
"I'm sorry... I didn't think it would cause that much pain... Fortunately there's no trauma," Osaka said brightly. Keitaro groaned, and shot her a glare.
"What did you... Do to me...?"
"Freed you, onii-chan," Kanako said, as she stepped back into the room.
"Freed me?! Freed me from what?!" Keitaro demanded. Kanako smiled as Yukari and Nyamo took up flanking positions on either side of her.
"Naru Narusegawa," she said, with more than some disdain in her voice. Keitaro blinked.
"What... What about her?"
"What do you feel for her, onii-chan?" She asked. Keitaro blinked, and thought about it.
"Well... I... I care for her..."
"Even after she told you she hated you? Even after she bullied you, dismissed you, struck you, insulted you?" Kanako asked. "Even after all that?"
Something different welled up in Keitaro's chest at that. Usually, on the rare occasion the abuse was commented on, he just said he deserved it. He was clumsy, he was awkward...
She was hurtful, unfair, uncompromising... Every time she'd hit him or insulted him came to the forefront of his mind. He found it hard to put it away
His eyes widened.
"I... What... What did you...?"
"Brother... There's something you need to know," Kanako said. "That promise you made, so long ago at the Hinata Sou? Well... It wasn't as simple as you think it was. The magical power of the Hinata Sou made your promise into a magical compulsion."
"A... A geass?" Keitaro asked. Kanako nodded.
"Yes... It subverted your free will... Made you and everyone else there a slave to the desires of Narusegawa. You were a slave... And now, you're free of it. Free to choose what to do with your life."
Keitaro stared, and slowly shook his head. As much as he wanted to deny it... He felt differently. As though Naru... Wasn't the center of his universe.
Hell, did he really have that much resentment and anger locked away at her actions?
"I... But... Why?"
"Simple... We needed a test subject... And she provided it," spoke a gravelly masculine voice. Keitaro looked up, and saw General Gamov entering the lab. He smirked at him, hands clasped behind his back.
"I'm indebted to you, Ronin... Without your assistance, the final test could never have been conducted..."
"Test? What test? I... It's a weapon, isn't it? It nullifies magic," Keitaro surmised. Kanako nodded.
"Yes onii-chan... General Gamov has been working on anti-magic weapons for quite some time. I arranged to give him the resources to finish his work."
"We couldn't have done it without Miss Osaka here, of course," the general said, smiling at Osaka. Osaka turned and nodded at him with a smile.
"Thank you General!"
"Nor finished the Svarog," the general went on. He smiled at Keitaro, the triumphant master. "And now, with this confirmation, we can begin to move."
"Who are you going to use it against?" Keitaro growled.
"You know the history of my country, do you not Ronin?" Gamov said, turning and looking at the flag of the Russian Federation on the wall. "Revolution after revolution, atrocity after atrocity... A bad government torn down for something even worse... Even now, we have not learned from our mistakes." He turned and looked back at Keitaro.
"My government had me 'die', and be sent here, working on their various black ops projects," Gamov said. "I left my family behind... Even now, they think I am dead. And for all intents and purposes, I am. They have... Moved on, without me." He reached up, and took his hat off. He ran his hand through his thinning hair, and Keitaro could see a few locks of it in his hat.
"I have decided, that if I am dead... Then I will be dead for another reason," he said. "Dead because I ensured my country never again falls into the darkness of communism... The West says Marx is dead, and yet! Even now, his praises are sung, his methods adopted! No... Tyranny is all that leads to. I will ensure it never happens again..." He looked at Keitaro.
"In the Soviet state, the elites all have access to the most advanced technology, particularly in medicines... Magitech nanomachines." He smirked. "Very effective... The West has it's own versions, but we? We took them. We gave them to our nation... And, as they always did, the upper class took them for their own. Enhancing their hearts, their minds, their lungs..."
"You... The rail gun..." Keitaro's eyes widened. Kanako nodded.
"Yes, onii-chan... The anti-magic device can be deployed as a bomb. Svarog gives us a mobile deployment system. We can launch one such device right over Moscow itself."
"All their weapons will be rendered useless... And the nanomachines, which they took for themselves, well..." Gamov chuckled. "Their own undoing... It is appropriate, yes?"
"How many people are benefitting from that magitech, Gamov?" Keitaro growled. The general shrugged.
"Our worst case scenario? One million... Actual casualties will be much lighter."
"And when your leaders are dead, you'll take over? Another conquerer?" Keitaro sneered. He felt angry, doubly so at his sister for participating in this! It was all a trap, just to get him here, just to test that weapon!
"Nonsense... An unfortunate terrorist attack by an unknown power will cut off the head of the government," Gamov said. "I will step out, uniting the people by freely offering my technology to all... The nanomachines will keep their peace... Make them happy..."
Keitaro looked at Yukari and Nyamo, standing there like mindless drones. His horror grew. "You... You monster!"
"Am I, Ronin?" Gamov asked. "Or am I merely the only one willing to do what it takes to end the cycle of bloodshed? Over and over, the people are made into sheep... Well... Perhaps they need a shepherd... But I am no politician. I am no king! I am just a deadman... Doing what I must." He saluted Ronin. "I must attend to the operation... Kanako?"
"I... I will be there with you in a moment, General," she said quietly. Gamov nodded, and exited. Keitaro turned his glare on his sister.
"You... You're going along with this?"
"Onii-chan..."
"No! Kana-chan, how...? You arranged all this? Just to get me?"
"To free you! And to make sure you know how far I'm willing to go for you!" Kanako insisted. She moved forward, placing her hands on his shoulders. "Onii-chan, Russia will need people like you... better than me, a monster, to show compassion."
"You expect me to rule Russia with you?" Keitaro growled. "I... I'm disappointed in you, Kanako!"
Kanako bowed her head, not even blushing when she saw Keitaro's naked body. "I know, Onii-chan... I... I trapped you... Used you..." She looked back up into his face, but couldn't meet his eyes. "You were always the better person, onii-chan... Strong, firm, compassionate... I... I wanted to free you from that woman. I wanted... I want to offer you the world, Onii-chan. You deserve that and anything else I can give you."
"I don't want the world, Kana-chan," Keitaro implored. "I... I want my little sister! I don't want you to do this!"
"..." Kanako sighed, and turned away. "Regardless... It is happening... And... You will learn to embrace it... Onii-chan... You adapt... You grow... It is your way..."
"So... I don't have a choice then?" Keitaro asked flatly.
Kanako stiffened. Keitaro, angry, twisted the knife deeper.
"Then how am I really free?"
Kanako was silent. Quietly, she headed for the door.
"Osaka... Keep an eye on him, give him whatever he asks for," she said quietly. Osaka saluted.
"Yes Miss Kanako!"
"Yukari, Nyamo, come on," Kanako ordered. The two school teachers turned cyber ninjas exited, following their mistress. Keitaro bowed his head and sighed.
"So... Would you like to play a guessing game with me?" Osaka asked brightly.
Keitaro raised his eyes and stared incredulously at her. Osaka shrugged.
"Just asking..."
"I... Why are you going along with this? They're going to murder a million people, and... And you're fine with that?" Keitaro asked frankly. Osaka thought about it.
"Well... I suppose that doesn't sit right with me..."
"So why?!"
"Well, nobody asked my opinion on what we were doing," Osaka said. "They just told me to do things, and I did them. Asked me for things, and I gave them to them." She shrugged.
"So... What if I asked you to get me out of here?" Keitaro tried.
Osaka thought about it, and then smiled. She hit a control on her board, and Keitaro's bindings released. He slipped to the floor, and nearly fell over.
"I... Huh?"
"I'd let you go," Osaka said cheerfully.
"... Why?"
"Well, you asked... And it wouldn't be very polite to deny your request, would it?" Osaka asked.
Keitaro blinked again, and shook his head. Did it really matter now?
"Oh... Kay... Um..." He covered himself. "Where's my stuff?"
"I'll have to get it... Wait right there," Osaka said. She then smiled, almost impishly.
"Unless you'd like me to get naked too? That way you wouldn't feel alone?"
Keitaro stared for a bit, before he slowly shook his head. "Ah... No, I'm good."
"Later then?" Osaka asked, looking a bit... Eager. Keitaro sighed, and shrugged.
"Sure... Why not?"
"I'll hold you to that, Mr. Ronin," Osaka said with a smile, before she turned and headed out the door. Keitaro sighed and rubbed his head. He then tapped his ear.
((BREEP BREEP))
"Colonel, this is Ronin. Can you hear me?"
"Ronin! You all right?"
"Fine... The decoy earpiece seems to have worked... Listen, we've got a situation on our hands..."
Keitaro briefly explained the Svarog's mission, and the Colonel considered.
"Ronin, we can't get any forces in there in time to stop it..."
"So... It's up to me?" He asked.
"Yes Ronin... Don't worry though, we'll be there every step of the way," the Colonel said. "I wish I had better news, but... Well... One million people's lives depend on you. And you're all we've got."
"So, don't screw up. Got it," Ronin sighed. "Just... One thing?"
"Yes?"
"... Can you get me a line to the Hinata Sou? Before everything gets crazy?" He asked.
"... I'll see what I can do, Ronin. Good luck."
"Thank you Colonel..."
- - - - - - -
Somebody write an omake or something so I can relax for a while, huh?
After this.
- - - - - - -
Ugh...
Keitaro fought off the side effects of the drug, slowly rising back to consciousness. He groaned softly, and opened his eyes.
He took stock of the situation. He was bound to a table. There was a bright light in his eyes.
... He was naked.
Uh oh...
The table rotated, and Keitaro got a quick look around at his surroundings. He was in some kind of circular lab. That girl from before sat behind a control panel, blowing bubbles.
"Hello onii-chan."
"Kana-chan?!" Keitaro asked. "You... Why...?" He looked around. Just his luck, Yukari and Nyamo were standing there. Their faceplates were open, revealing blank stares.
"I'm sure you have a lot of questions," Kanako began.
"To say the least!" Keitaro said.
"Well, I'll answer the obvious... But first..." She backed away. "Osaka, begin the procedure. Ladies, come along."
Yukari and Nyamo followed... Though Keitaro noticed they both stared over their shoulders at him as they left. He tried to fight his blush, but he failed.
The double doors sealed, and Osaka pulled a large, dramatic looking switch.
"Ah, hey, wait a minute, can't we talk about-?" Keitaro tried, just before his world was filled with light... And pain.
"AAARRRGGGGHHHHH!!!"
The pain seemed to go on and on, and he convulsed, violently yanking against his restraints. The agony seemed to increase by an order of magnitude... Before it stopped. He slumped in his restraints, breathing hard.
"I'm sorry... I didn't think it would cause that much pain... Fortunately there's no trauma," Osaka said brightly. Keitaro groaned, and shot her a glare.
"What did you... Do to me...?"
"Freed you, onii-chan," Kanako said, as she stepped back into the room.
"Freed me?! Freed me from what?!" Keitaro demanded. Kanako smiled as Yukari and Nyamo took up flanking positions on either side of her.
"Naru Narusegawa," she said, with more than some disdain in her voice. Keitaro blinked.
"What... What about her?"
"What do you feel for her, onii-chan?" She asked. Keitaro blinked, and thought about it.
"Well... I... I care for her..."
"Even after she told you she hated you? Even after she bullied you, dismissed you, struck you, insulted you?" Kanako asked. "Even after all that?"
Something different welled up in Keitaro's chest at that. Usually, on the rare occasion the abuse was commented on, he just said he deserved it. He was clumsy, he was awkward...
She was hurtful, unfair, uncompromising... Every time she'd hit him or insulted him came to the forefront of his mind. He found it hard to put it away
His eyes widened.
"I... What... What did you...?"
"Brother... There's something you need to know," Kanako said. "That promise you made, so long ago at the Hinata Sou? Well... It wasn't as simple as you think it was. The magical power of the Hinata Sou made your promise into a magical compulsion."
"A... A geass?" Keitaro asked. Kanako nodded.
"Yes... It subverted your free will... Made you and everyone else there a slave to the desires of Narusegawa. You were a slave... And now, you're free of it. Free to choose what to do with your life."
Keitaro stared, and slowly shook his head. As much as he wanted to deny it... He felt differently. As though Naru... Wasn't the center of his universe.
Hell, did he really have that much resentment and anger locked away at her actions?
"I... But... Why?"
"Simple... We needed a test subject... And she provided it," spoke a gravelly masculine voice. Keitaro looked up, and saw General Gamov entering the lab. He smirked at him, hands clasped behind his back.
"I'm indebted to you, Ronin... Without your assistance, the final test could never have been conducted..."
"Test? What test? I... It's a weapon, isn't it? It nullifies magic," Keitaro surmised. Kanako nodded.
"Yes onii-chan... General Gamov has been working on anti-magic weapons for quite some time. I arranged to give him the resources to finish his work."
"We couldn't have done it without Miss Osaka here, of course," the general said, smiling at Osaka. Osaka turned and nodded at him with a smile.
"Thank you General!"
"Nor finished the Svarog," the general went on. He smiled at Keitaro, the triumphant master. "And now, with this confirmation, we can begin to move."
"Who are you going to use it against?" Keitaro growled.
"You know the history of my country, do you not Ronin?" Gamov said, turning and looking at the flag of the Russian Federation on the wall. "Revolution after revolution, atrocity after atrocity... A bad government torn down for something even worse... Even now, we have not learned from our mistakes." He turned and looked back at Keitaro.
"My government had me 'die', and be sent here, working on their various black ops projects," Gamov said. "I left my family behind... Even now, they think I am dead. And for all intents and purposes, I am. They have... Moved on, without me." He reached up, and took his hat off. He ran his hand through his thinning hair, and Keitaro could see a few locks of it in his hat.
"I have decided, that if I am dead... Then I will be dead for another reason," he said. "Dead because I ensured my country never again falls into the darkness of communism... The West says Marx is dead, and yet! Even now, his praises are sung, his methods adopted! No... Tyranny is all that leads to. I will ensure it never happens again..." He looked at Keitaro.
"In the Soviet state, the elites all have access to the most advanced technology, particularly in medicines... Magitech nanomachines." He smirked. "Very effective... The West has it's own versions, but we? We took them. We gave them to our nation... And, as they always did, the upper class took them for their own. Enhancing their hearts, their minds, their lungs..."
"You... The rail gun..." Keitaro's eyes widened. Kanako nodded.
"Yes, onii-chan... The anti-magic device can be deployed as a bomb. Svarog gives us a mobile deployment system. We can launch one such device right over Moscow itself."
"All their weapons will be rendered useless... And the nanomachines, which they took for themselves, well..." Gamov chuckled. "Their own undoing... It is appropriate, yes?"
"How many people are benefitting from that magitech, Gamov?" Keitaro growled. The general shrugged.
"Our worst case scenario? One million... Actual casualties will be much lighter."
"And when your leaders are dead, you'll take over? Another conquerer?" Keitaro sneered. He felt angry, doubly so at his sister for participating in this! It was all a trap, just to get him here, just to test that weapon!
"Nonsense... An unfortunate terrorist attack by an unknown power will cut off the head of the government," Gamov said. "I will step out, uniting the people by freely offering my technology to all... The nanomachines will keep their peace... Make them happy..."
Keitaro looked at Yukari and Nyamo, standing there like mindless drones. His horror grew. "You... You monster!"
"Am I, Ronin?" Gamov asked. "Or am I merely the only one willing to do what it takes to end the cycle of bloodshed? Over and over, the people are made into sheep... Well... Perhaps they need a shepherd... But I am no politician. I am no king! I am just a deadman... Doing what I must." He saluted Ronin. "I must attend to the operation... Kanako?"
"I... I will be there with you in a moment, General," she said quietly. Gamov nodded, and exited. Keitaro turned his glare on his sister.
"You... You're going along with this?"
"Onii-chan..."
"No! Kana-chan, how...? You arranged all this? Just to get me?"
"To free you! And to make sure you know how far I'm willing to go for you!" Kanako insisted. She moved forward, placing her hands on his shoulders. "Onii-chan, Russia will need people like you... better than me, a monster, to show compassion."
"You expect me to rule Russia with you?" Keitaro growled. "I... I'm disappointed in you, Kanako!"
Kanako bowed her head, not even blushing when she saw Keitaro's naked body. "I know, Onii-chan... I... I trapped you... Used you..." She looked back up into his face, but couldn't meet his eyes. "You were always the better person, onii-chan... Strong, firm, compassionate... I... I wanted to free you from that woman. I wanted... I want to offer you the world, Onii-chan. You deserve that and anything else I can give you."
"I don't want the world, Kana-chan," Keitaro implored. "I... I want my little sister! I don't want you to do this!"
"..." Kanako sighed, and turned away. "Regardless... It is happening... And... You will learn to embrace it... Onii-chan... You adapt... You grow... It is your way..."
"So... I don't have a choice then?" Keitaro asked flatly.
Kanako stiffened. Keitaro, angry, twisted the knife deeper.
"Then how am I really free?"
Kanako was silent. Quietly, she headed for the door.
"Osaka... Keep an eye on him, give him whatever he asks for," she said quietly. Osaka saluted.
"Yes Miss Kanako!"
"Yukari, Nyamo, come on," Kanako ordered. The two school teachers turned cyber ninjas exited, following their mistress. Keitaro bowed his head and sighed.
"So... Would you like to play a guessing game with me?" Osaka asked brightly.
Keitaro raised his eyes and stared incredulously at her. Osaka shrugged.
"Just asking..."
"I... Why are you going along with this? They're going to murder a million people, and... And you're fine with that?" Keitaro asked frankly. Osaka thought about it.
"Well... I suppose that doesn't sit right with me..."
"So why?!"
"Well, nobody asked my opinion on what we were doing," Osaka said. "They just told me to do things, and I did them. Asked me for things, and I gave them to them." She shrugged.
"So... What if I asked you to get me out of here?" Keitaro tried.
Osaka thought about it, and then smiled. She hit a control on her board, and Keitaro's bindings released. He slipped to the floor, and nearly fell over.
"I... Huh?"
"I'd let you go," Osaka said cheerfully.
"... Why?"
"Well, you asked... And it wouldn't be very polite to deny your request, would it?" Osaka asked.
Keitaro blinked again, and shook his head. Did it really matter now?
"Oh... Kay... Um..." He covered himself. "Where's my stuff?"
"I'll have to get it... Wait right there," Osaka said. She then smiled, almost impishly.
"Unless you'd like me to get naked too? That way you wouldn't feel alone?"
Keitaro stared for a bit, before he slowly shook his head. "Ah... No, I'm good."
"Later then?" Osaka asked, looking a bit... Eager. Keitaro sighed, and shrugged.
"Sure... Why not?"
"I'll hold you to that, Mr. Ronin," Osaka said with a smile, before she turned and headed out the door. Keitaro sighed and rubbed his head. He then tapped his ear.
((BREEP BREEP))
"Colonel, this is Ronin. Can you hear me?"
"Ronin! You all right?"
"Fine... The decoy earpiece seems to have worked... Listen, we've got a situation on our hands..."
Keitaro briefly explained the Svarog's mission, and the Colonel considered.
"Ronin, we can't get any forces in there in time to stop it..."
"So... It's up to me?" He asked.
"Yes Ronin... Don't worry though, we'll be there every step of the way," the Colonel said. "I wish I had better news, but... Well... One million people's lives depend on you. And you're all we've got."
"So, don't screw up. Got it," Ronin sighed. "Just... One thing?"
"Yes?"
"... Can you get me a line to the Hinata Sou? Before everything gets crazy?" He asked.
"... I'll see what I can do, Ronin. Good luck."
"Thank you Colonel..."
- - - - - - -
Nice update and now some questions.
So will breaking the geass on Keitaro affect anyone else at the Hinata Sou? Will they change their behavior in any substatial way?
Did Kanako know that Osaka would free Keitaro and aid him if he asked? I'm pretty sure she did with the "give him whatever he asks for" line.
So will breaking the geass on Keitaro affect anyone else at the Hinata Sou? Will they change their behavior in any substatial way?
Did Kanako know that Osaka would free Keitaro and aid him if he asked? I'm pretty sure she did with the "give him whatever he asks for" line.