FAQing Hostile: Subcultural Mutant Otaku Versus the Mundanes Chapter 17 By Isawa Noshinto (FAQing Hostile originally spawned by Twoflower) *** I looked up at Vixen as she pulled me onto the boat. Even with her wet hair hanging in her face she looked like a goddess of mercy. Her eyes met mine, and as I lay there sputtering, she opened her mouth to speak. "Damnit, Dave! Why in the name of Kami-sama did you have to go and fall off the boat?!" "A - ah, Gomen. I - " My apologies were cut short by more gunfire from the Canadians. I threw myself flat against the deck and covered my head with my hands. I glanced up to see B1FF lobbing grenades at the Canadians, buying some time for us to find cover. Vixen grabbed my shirt roughly and dragged me behind a stack of wooden boards. "Enough of this shit," she declared. "Sherman, fire the main gun!" "Hai, Miss Hiroshima." Bringing the main cannon to bear on the Canadian boat, Sherman fired twice. The troop ship exploded into splinters. Dominion soldiers flew though the air. Some were on fire, but the cold water extinguished them when they landed in the lake. From what I could see it didn't look like any of the Canadians had survived. Glancing around the barge, I saw Nick sprawled on the deck, clutching his foot. Vixen and B1FF went over to see what was wrong, and I followed cautiously. "What happened?" "He shot himself," muttered Vixen. "Looks like he's an even worse shot than you are. Come on, let's get him back inside and get out of here." I moved over to help my new friend back into the tank. We'd survived our first battle with the Dominion of Canada. Heading onward, we resumed our journey toward Chicago. *** Dave put down his pen and looked over what he'd written. He still wasn't sure that he was cut out for the job of Reporter. Writing had never been his strong suit. He could still remember some of the abominable pop songs he'd written when he was young: 'Living La Vida Mocha' and 'Show Me the Meaning of Being Lowly.' Still, there was a sense of duty inside him that compelled him to fulfil his role as the Reporter, and he was determined to take it seriously. Trying to write from the perspective of his friends was the hardest part. He wanted to include their thoughts and feelings in the history of Otakuland, but it was difficult to tell exactly what was going on inside their heads. Even though he'd been with them for quite some time, there were still a lot of things about them he didn't know. If he could have interviewed them directly it would have been much easier, but to do so would reveal his secret. He wondered if Kenishi or Arashi might have any advice for him. After all, wasn't he an important Otaku figure now? His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of Rachael. Quickly, he stuffed the pages he was writing beneath the mattress he was sitting on and began reading his FAQ. "Um, hi." She stood in the doorway for a while, looking at him suspiciously. "How are you feeling?" "Fine. Just taking a little time to read. Nothing special. Nothing at all!" "...whatever." She walked over to where he was sitting and sat down beside him. She wore a sleek black dress, and he could smell the lingering scent of incense smoke in her hair. Dave tried his best to appear casual and hide his secret. "So, uh, how's Nick?" "Still resting. For a while he was so pale that he looked like a guy I used to know back home, but he's back to normal now." The two sat in awkward silence for a while, both trying to think of something to say. Dave pretended to read the FAQ, while Rachael pretended to look around the storage compartment. It was Rachael who made the first move. "You have to be more careful, you know," she murmured, turning to face Dave. "You're too important to lose." 'Does she know I'm the Reporter?' Dave blanched at the thought. "Important? Me? Whatever gave you that idea?" He put his hand to the back of his head and began to laugh. "Nope. Nothing important about me." Rachael sighed and rolled her eyes. "A lot of people think you're important." She quickly amended, "not that I care what people think." For a moment, Dave didn't know what to say. Things between him and Rachael were still a little... weird. He thought he knew how he felt about her, but lately he wasn't entirely sure. She was just a friend, wasn't she? His brain went into overdrive as he struggled to sort out his feelings and think of something to say. No matter how hard he tried, though, he couldn't come to any conclusion. Finally, he managed to stammer the only thing he knew to be true. "Thank you, Rachael. You're important too." "Whatever." Slowly, Rachael got to her feet. "I should go." With soft steps, she moved toward the exit. At the doorway, she turned and looked into Dave's eyes one more time before she left, saying nothing. Dave sat in the storage compartment for a long while, lost in thought. <><><><><><><> Deep within the hidden recesses of the Directorate's offices, a hooded figure hunched over a secret computer terminal. As an infiltrator, he had a great deal of experience in matters of espionage. Doing away with people who presented obstacles, sneaking around unseen, hacking into secured areas, gathering information. These things were routine to him, for he was a master of his trade. At the moment, however, he was having trouble passing the third stage of Tenchu: Stealth Assassins. A soft chime, indicating an incoming message, interrupted his game. Setting down his controller, he turned to the radio and flipped a switch to activate the encryption device. "Hello?" The voice on the other end spoke a single phrase. "Beautiful for spacious skies." The infiltrator responded with the code words that would confirm his identity. "From sea to shining sea." "Greetings, agent," announced his supervisor. "What is your mission status?" "I've managed to convince a Director that the FAQ holds some significance," reported the infiltrator. "Once he's done all the legwork I'll move in and retrieve it. If all goes well, the operation will be complete within two weeks." "Excellent work, agent. Once this matter is completed I'll see that you get a commendation." "Thank you, sir." Emboldened by the praise from his supervisor, he ventured a question. "Sir, if I may ask, why is the Otaku FAQ so important?" There was a long pause, and the infiltrator wondered if it had been a bad idea to ask. After about half a minute, however, his supervisor answered. "You've been briefed on the GENOM orbital railgun platform?" The infiltrator nodded. "The most powerful satellite weapon in existence. Otakuland relied upon it for security and protection until the Directorate and the Lord of the Wares managed to hack into the LARGO command system and turn it against them. Unfortunately, without the LARGO system to command it, the GENOM platform is no more than inert space-junk." "Correct, except for one detail," revealed his supervisor. "The railgun is still operational." The hooded infiltrator jumped in his seat, almost causing his hood to slip off his head. "Sir?" "Our intelligence on the GENOM satellite's systems indicates that in the event of an emergency it is capable of receiving commands from sources other than the LARGO server, provided those commands are accompanied by the proper codes." "You're saying that anyone can control GENOM as long as they have the command codes?!" "As it stands now, yes. Do you realize the importance of your mission now?" Realization slowly dawned in the agent's head. "The Otaku FAQ. The command codes are inside the FAQ." "We have strong reason to believe that is the case," confirmed his supervisor. The weight of his voice as he spoke revealed just how deadly serious the situation was. "That is why we must secure the FAQ. At any cost." "I understand," affirmed the infiltrator. "I will not disappoint you, sir." "For your sake, you had better not. Good luck, agent. End transmission." Switching off the radio transmitter, the infiltrator sat back to consider the new information he'd been given. With such an important mission before him there was no way he could allow himself to fail. No matter how long it took, no matter what he had to do, no matter how far he had to go, he would succeed. He would find the FAQ. For the honor of the Restored CIA, he would recover the key to the GENOM satellite. <><><><><><><> At that very moment, the FAQ in question was in the hands of a thoroughly confused Otaku. Dave still hadn't managed to decide what Rachael had meant by her comment. Nor had he come to any sort of decision regarding his activities as Reporter. Indeed, the only thing he had determined was that he had no idea what to do about anything. Glancing down, he noticed the FAQ in his hands. 'The repository of all Otaku knowledge. Maybe it will have some insight into my situation.' Opening the precious tome, he began to read, forgetting all his bewilderment as he did so. As he paged through the FAQ, his mind went back to the code he'd been analyzing with Sherman. Even with the computer's help, it had been an overwhelming task to decipher the first chapter. The massive amount of information contained within the FAQ made it almost impossible to examine it in its entirety. 'Still,' he told himself, 'it's manageable if you do it piece by piece.' Anxious to be doing something productive, he began to go through the page he was reading, picking out the letters that spelled the code as he went. Sentence by sentence, a message began to emerge. Dave felt excitement welling up inside his chest. 'Yes! This is it! The secret I've been searching for!' His hand trembled as he reached to turn the page. "It's ... it's ..." Nick entered the room just in time to see Dave facefault. Hobbling over to where his friend lay, he tried to help the young Otaku to his feet. "Dave! What's wrong?" "T - the FAQ." Still shocked, it was all Dave could do to point at the passage that he'd been reading. A look of confusion crossed Nick's face as he peered at the strange writing. "Huh? What is it?" Dave groaned. "It's a recipe for Ucchan's okonomiyaki." <><><><><><><> The Rurouni glided over the waters of Lake Erie, pulling the barge and Sherman along behind it. Vixen didn't care much for traveling by water. The flat surface of the lake was monotonous in its uniformity. One area looked just like another, and there was no scenery to take her mind off the boredom she felt. No trees. No mountains. No landmarks of any kind. Nothing but waves all around. For some it might have been peaceful, but for Vixen it caused mind-numbing boredom. "Commander, a vessel is approaching from the Northwest on an intercept course," alerted Sherman. "It matches the configuration of the previous Dominion vessel." Vixen didn't even bother looking at the screen. "Time until contact?" "Approximately fifteen minutes at current speed," Sherman informed her. " "Stay on course. Once we're in range," a small grin crossed her face as she spoke, "blow it out of the water." "Hai, Miss Hiroshima." The minutes passed by with agonizing slowness. Finally, the ship moved into range. The main gun fired once then fell silent. "Target destroyed, commander," Sherman reported. Vixen found herself almost wishing that the battle had been more intense. 'At least it would have provided a quick diversion.' She glanced around the control room. B1FF was fiddling around with some piece of computer hardware, while Zircona looked out the window at the water. "Hey," Vixen called to Zircona. "You know the way to Chicago from here, right?" Zircona looked up, startled by Vixen's sudden question. "Of course." "Okay then. B1FF, you're in charge. Let me know if anything comes up. I'm going to take a break." Without another word, Vixen rose from her seat and walked out of the room. B1FF's eyes drifted toward Zircona. "5o, y0u w4nn4 d0 s0m3t1ng t0 pa55 th3 t1m3?" The pretty young acolyte gave him an innocent smile. "Sure! What did you have in mind?" A mischievous glint formed in the Otaku's eye. "Ev3r pl4y3d m4h j0ng?" <><><><><><><> Vixen had intended to go to her room, watch some City Hunter, and possibly indulge herself in some 'relaxation.' Instead, she found herself waylaid in the corridor by a concerned Nick. "Commander Hiroshima, I'm glad I found you," called the kibologist, limping toward her. "You might want to go check on Dave. He's been acting funny and falling down again. I think something's wrong with him." "Something's always wrong with Dave," muttered Vixen under her breath. Seeing the worried look on Nick's face, however, made her imagine Dave in horrible agony. The very thought was unsettling, and she couldn't shake the grim feeling it gave her. "Go back to the command room. I'll go take a look at him." Nick gave a clumsy salute before making his way to the command room. "Yes, commander Hiroshima." Grumbling, Vixen stomped off toward the storage bay. "And I thought having two extra passengers were trouble." <><><><><><><> Dave was taking a well-deserved rest when he heard Vixen calling him. "Hey! You okay in here, newbie?" "I'm fine, Vixen." Dave emerged from the corner of the storage bay that served as his personal space, stifling a yawn. "Just relaxing." "I thought as much." Chiding herself for wasting time, Vixen turned and walked away. A light flashed inside Dave's head as he recognized the opportunity to get a better insight into Vixen's point of view for his records. He jumped up and ran after her, catching her just as she reached the doorway. "Vixen, wait! Can I ask you a question?" Vixen sighed. "What is it?" Dave swallowed nervously. "What was going through your mind when you jumped in the water to save me?" "What do you want to know that for?" Vixen's eyes narrowed angrily as she fixed Dave with a cold stare. "I'm just curious." Taking a step backward, Dave raised his hands in front of his chest. "I want to know more about you, that's all." Vixen resisted her initial urge to tell Dave to mind his own business, and stopped for a moment to consider the question. 'What *was* I thinking when I jumped in the water?' Looking back, she remembered being gripped by a sudden fear, a fear that caused her to act without thinking. 'Fear of what?' Looking at Dave, the answer came to her. 'Fear of... losing him?' She shook her head. 'No! No fucking way!!' 'Still,' a small voice in the back of her head nagged, 'you must have felt something to jump in the water so quickly.' "I just didn't want to lose anyone in a fight against those stupid Canadians," she said at last. "That's all there is to it." "Oh." The barest hint of a frown crept onto Dave's face. "I should have guessed it was something like that." Dave bowed his head. "In any case, thank you again for saving me." "It was nothing." So saying, she turned and left. No longer in a mood to relax, Vixen went back to the control room, hoping to rid her mind of Dave's question and the answer she'd refused to admit. <><><><><><><> Vixen returned to find her brother and Zircona engaged in a game of strip mah jong. The kibologist was missing both her shoes and one sock, while B1FF was stripped down to just his Ghost In The Shell boxers. "Uh, h1, 5i5. We w3r3 ju5t..." Vixen held her hand up in a warding gesture. "I don't want to know." Sherman spoke from one of the intercom speakers. "Commander, another vessel is approaching from the North." "These guys just don't know when to give up," she muttered. "Give it the same treatment as the last two." "This one appears to be an armored warship," reported Sherman. "It is doubtful that an artillery shell will have any effect at this range." "Shit!" Her previous problems quickly forgotten, Vixen grabbed the radio mike. "Rurouni, this is Vixen. Do you have a visual on the approaching ship?" Kenishi's voice was serious as it came over the speaker. "Hai. It's a Barracuda class warship marked with the symbol of the Dominion." Vixen considered her options for a moment. It didn't take her long to realize that she only had one real course of action open to her. "Kenishi, get us out of her as fast as possible." "Aren't you going to fight it?" asked Zircona. "Like you did the last two?" "No." Vixen studied Sherman's projection of the warship's course. "Not this time." Zircona simply continued to look at her with a blank expression. "Why not?" Vixen gestured around the naive young acolyte. "This is a barge, not a battleship. We're not prepared for a naval battle. We'll just have to run for it and see if we can lose them when we get to the next lake." "I am afraid I have more bad news for you, commander," announced Sherman. "If we continue on this course we will encounter a large waterfall." Vixen gave the computer a dark look. "Oh? How large?" "My long-range sensors place the resulting drop in altitude near 300 feet." Everyone in the control room sweatdropped simultaneously. <><><><><><><> Evan paced restlessly across the floor of his "room." No matter what his captors said, it was still a cell. They'd tried to make it seem like he was a guest. They'd fed him, let him bathe, and cleaned his clothes. They'd even offered to let him use a computer terminal to surf the web. Indeed, with the exception of letting him leave, his captors offered him practically every luxury he could want. Of course, none of that really mattered to him. The only important thing was the fact that they were currently preventing him from tracking down and doing violent things to Dave. There was an audible *click* as the door opened. Evan knew who his visitor was even before he entered the room. Only one person ever questioned him. He stopped his pacing and turned to face the door as Tobias entered. Save the addition of a briefcase to his arsenal, the Director looked exactly as he had on all of his previous visits. "Good afternoon, Evan," greeted Toby. "How are you today?" Evan flipped the Director the bird. "Stuff it." Ignoring the Ear's display of open contempt, Toby pressed on with his usual line of questioning. "Do you have any idea where the Otaku are headed?" "No." Evan had considered telling the Director about the tracking device he'd placed on the tank in New York, but rejected the idea out of spite. Tobias never pressed the issue, so Evan stuck to his original story. Toby frowned. Evan was as close to an expert on the Otaku as they could hope to find. Without his knowledge the search for the FAQ would be extremely difficult. Liquidating him was out of the question, but the longer they held him the more difficult it became. Toby made a mental note to increase his attempts at getting on Evan's good side. Hopefully he would be able to convince the vagabond to join forces with him. He opened the briefcase and removed a stack of minidisks. "We found these in the hideout of the Otaku who was living in New York. Do you know what they mean?" Evan looked at the strange names written on the cover slips. NewType. Animerica. Protoculture Addicts. Almost all had the picture of a giant robot or a cute girl etched onto the disk. "No. I've never seen anything like them before." "You're trying to tell me that you've followed these Otaku all the way across the country and you have no idea what they're doing?" Toby slammed his fist on the table. "Don't lie to me! Where are they going? Why are you following them if you don't know?!" Evan's reply came out a savage growl. "I already told you! I'm on a quest for revenge!" Toby was about to throw back a harsh reply when the door opened and man in a black suit stuck his head in. "Sir, we've got a possible sighting of the Otaku in the Great Lakes region." Toby couldn't help but smile. Finally, something was going right. "I'll be back later," he told Evan. "Maybe then you'll have something to tell me." Evan watched as the door closed behind the Director. "Don't count on it," he muttered. "I'll escape before I tell you anything." Standing up, Evan was about to return to his pacing when he noticed that Tobias had left the minidisks on the table. Bored and curious, he sat back down, picked one up and examined it. The blue-haired girl in the picture seemed to smile directly at him, as if trying to raise his spirits. His interest piqued, Evan slipped it into his minivid player and began to read the words that scrolled across the screen. <><><><><><><> Sherman's main gun fired once, then again. The entire barge shook from the recoil as explosive death rained down upon the Canadian scum. "No visible effect, commander" reported Sherman. "It would appear that our weaponry is ineffective against their superior armor." Vixen, B1FF, Dave, Rachael, Nick and Zircona were all crowded into the control room. Kenishi, Arashi and hiro sat in on the war council via a vidscreen connection from the Rurouni. The sense of gloom that dominated the gathering was all but tangible, and it weighed heavily on the minds of all present. "We'll sink like a stone if they hit the barge," announced Vixen. "We need a plan, and we need it fast." Timidly, Dave raised his hand. "Ano... Vixen?" Vixen waved a dismissive hand in his general direction. "Don't bother me, newbie. This is serious!" "I can move the Rurouni between you and them," offered Kenishi. "It might give you a little more protection in a fight." Vixen shook her head. "No. If we lose the Rurouni we're dead in the water. We can't take that chance." Dave tried raising his hand again. "I think I..." "Not now!" Vixen scolded him. "We're busy trying to stay alive!" "Wh4t 1f w3 m4k3 a br34k f0r th3 sh0r3?" suggested B1FF. "W3 c4n lo5e th3m 0nc3 we'r3 b4ck 0n l4nd." "They're faster in the water than we are," revealed hiro. "They'll be on us like fiancˇes on Ranma before we make it that far." Dave leapt to his feet, indignant. "Vixen! Listen to me! I have an idea!" Vixen closed her eyes and put a hand to her head. "Okay! Fine! Just tell me your idea and let's get it over with." The entire room fell silent as Dave spoke. "What if we used the Daedalus Maneuver?" <><><><><><><> Kenishi checked the straps on the suit of powered armor one more time. "It's not as good as the Armored Infantry's K-12, but it'll have to do. Are you sure you're up to this?" B1FF shrugged. "D00d, 1t'5 e1th3r th1s 0r a w4t3ry gr4ve. Wh4t 0ther cho1c3 d0 w3 h4ve?" "Okay then. Keep your head down and be careful." Kenishi went back to the Rurouni and climbed inside, giving B1FF one last thumbs-up before leaving him alone on the deck of the barge. Shaking off the effects of a crack and alcohol induced buzz, Phreakachu ambled out to where B1FF was standing on the bow. "Phr34k! Y0u c4m3 0ut her3 t0 5t4nd bes1d3 m3 1n b4ttl3?" "Pi. Kachu chu pika. Chu pika chu?" B1FF's face fell. "Ye4h, 5ur3." Pulling a small blue lighter out of his pocket he handed it to the chain-smoking pokemon. "H3re y0u g0." Phreakachu flicked open the lighter, lit a joint, inhaled once and sighed contentedly. "Chuuu." With lighter firmly in hand, he made his way back toward the comfort and safety of the tank. "1ndi4n g1v3r." <><><><><><><> Back inside the Rurouni, Kenishi moved the hovercraft behind the barge, coming into position to push the craft forward. His face was expressionless as he piloted the vessel, but his eyes betrayed the worry he felt deep inside. "Do you really think this will work?" asked hiro. "Why not?" replied Kenishi, filling his voice with false bravado. "We pulled off crazier stunts than this when we were young, didn't we?" "Hai." hiro's voice remained skeptical. "But we never had the entire fate of Otakuland resting on our shoulders." "B1FF will succeed," stated Arashi. "He has to. And I believe in him." Vixen's voice called out over the radio. "Is everything ready up there?" "As ready as we'll ever be," Kenishi told her. "Your brother's all set and I've got the Rurouni in position." "Okay," muttered Vixen. "We'll only get once chance at this, so let's not fuck it up." <><><><><><><> Captain Jacques Marceau of the Dominion Navy was not a happy man. The object of his displeasure was, of course, the intruding vessel. More so than any other enemy he had faced in his career, this one in particular caused him special umbrage. It wasn't that they dared to violate the sacred waters of the Dominion of Canada. The number of arrogant Americans who entered Canada's territory without permission was endless, and he prided himself on dealing with each case in a detached and professional manner. It wasn't so much the amount of destruction they'd caused either. The loss of two troop ships didn't actually amount to a great deal, given the scope of the Dominion's vast navy. It wasn't even the fact that he'd lost a number of good friends on those troop ships. As terrible as it was to see friends die, he'd come to terms with the horrors of war long ago. More than anything, it was the fact that they went sailing about in a tank atop a barge. A TANK on a BARGE for God's sake! The very thought was an affront to the grand tradition of seamanship. In all his years as a captain in the Dominion's Navy, he had never seen anyone with such flagrant disrespect for the tenets of sailing. The more he thought about it, the more he shook with righteous indignation. "Mon capitan, the intruders have changed course," reported the crewman at the sensor console. "It appears they are attempting to ram us." Jacques gave a snort of laughter. "Foolish Americans. Let them come. We will see who knows more aboot war at sea." <><><><><><><> The Dominion ship loomed like an invulnerable dreadnought in the water before the barge, growing closer and closer. B1FF stood his ground. A few Canadian sailors shot at him through portholes, but their efforts were foiled by his armor. Ignoring them, B1FF focussed his chi, concentrating on the single point that would shatter the battleship's armor. '0nly 0n3 ch4nc3 ... G0tt4 m4k3 1t c0unt.' Just before impact, Kenishi slowed the Rurouni and reversed course, reducing their head-on charge to little more than a rough bump. B1FF tensed up as the two boats sat next to each other, preparing to make his move. Then, in one swift motion, he threw himself forward, striking out at the metal armor. "B4KU541 T3NK3T5U!" His chi punched through the ship's armor, leaving a melon-sized hole. Rolling to the side, he called out to the tank. "Sh3rm4n! F1r3 n0w!" "Hai." Data cycled through fiber-optic relays at incredible speeds. A thousand factors were calculated and compensated for as Sherman made a number of minute adjustments to the firing protocols. Less than a hundredth of a second later, the gun fired. The artillery shell tore though the hole B1FF had opened in a manner not unlike certain scenes from 'Fist of the North Star.' Even from within, the explosive force of the detonating missile could not overcome the powerful armor of the Canadian ship. Trapped inside the metal shell, the heat cooked everyone inside the warship to hot slag. "H4h! Lu5er5!" B1FF danced back and forth in front of the burned-out ship. "U 5uck!!" In a matter of seconds, everyone had poured out onto the deck of the barge, laughing and cheering. Zircona rushed over to cling to B1FF's arm, while Arashi doted on him. hiro and Nick broke open a case of Big Macs and started passing them around. Dave noticed that even Rachael bore a half-hearted smile on her face. "Excellent work, B1FF!" Kenishi smiled as he handed the Hiroshima boy a cold beer. "I doubt Ryouga himself could have done it better." "1 c0uldn't h4v3 d0n3 1t w1th0ut my ma1n m4n D4v3, her3," said B1FF, giving Dave a mock punch to the shoulder. "Th4t Da3d4lu5 1de4 k1ck3d m4j0r 455!" "He's right," said Vixen, laying a hand on Dave's shoulder. "Good work, Dave." Speechless, it was all Dave could do to look up at her and smile. And for once, Vixen gave him a warm smile back. <><><><><><><> Toby peered at the grainy images on the vidscreen in front of him. The resolution was so poor he could barely make out the shapes of the Otaku barge or the Dominion warship until they collided. After that it was easy to spot the tank next to the flaming shell of the armored cruiser. He watched until the Otaku ship faded into the blurry distance before killing the video feed. "You say this came from Michigan?" "Yes, sir. From one of our old surveillance cameras." The virus handed him a map indicating the area of the sighting. "It would appear that they are headed for the besieged city of Old Detroit." Toby sat in silence, weighing his options. 'If I return to headquarters now I'll have to explain my failure. I'll lose my position as Director. The Lord will have my tongue cut out, and Director Richards will never speak to me.' He gave an involuntary shudder at the mere thought of such events. 'No. I can't go back. Not yet.' Resolute in his decision, Toby gave the virus his orders. "Round up all the mutants from the C.A.B. you can find. We're going after them." "Yes, sir." The virus made a note on his palm-pilot. "What about Evan?" "Bring him along. He may still prove useful to us." "Yes, sir." The virus shuffled off to carry out the necessary preparations, leaving Toby alone in the monitoring station. 'I must have that FAQ! My future depends on it!' <><><><><><><> The infiltrator looked up as his game was interrupted once more by an alert from the computer. He'd set the system to notify him if Director Tobias sent any messages to the Directorate, and it appeared that one had just arrived. Opening the file, he skimmed through the mess of jargon and gibberish. Most of it was excuses for Toby's failure to return. Once he'd deciphered the garbage, however, the message actually proved informative. 'So,' the infiltrator mused, 'Toby's leading the search for the FAQ himself, with a battalion of taxi-cab driving mutants and a smattering of virus agents to back him up, and a violent young hostage as his guide.' 'Looks like my time-table is shot to hell.' <><><><><><><> AUTHOR'S NOTES: There's been some controversy concerning author's notes lately. I'll only say one thing, and then I'll drop the subject. You have to take pride in what you've written. No matter what you write, how long it takes you to write it, or what you have to do to get it done, you have to honestly believe that you've done the best possible work you could. If you do that, you will always have something you can be proud of. Okay, on to my personal comments: This chapter started out easy, but got really difficult toward the end. A lot of the details were tough to get just right, and there were parts where a single sentence kept me stuck for hours. Damn, I hate it when that happens! I'd like to thank Assassin, Clint Milton, Mark Poa and Teyunde Sakurambo for pre-reading. You guys were a big help, not only in finding rough spots, but also in keeping me from making any mistakes where I shouldn't have. I'd also like to point out that I have nothing personal against Canadians. ObCultRef Info: For those who know nothing of the Daedalus Maneuver, refer to the following page for more information: http://www.robotech.simplenet.com/ctocdaedmanu.htm Finally, I dedicate this chapter to Akiko Okusu, because she'll never believe that I dedicated a story to her. ^_^ Send comments, criticisms, commendations or correspondence to sstockto@gac.edu.