Evan looked around groggily. Curse that Director Tobias for bringing him here! The taxi he was riding in, like most of its cohorts, had managed to roll over a land mine. Evan thanked his lucky stars that he hadn't been wearing any seatbelts; he was thrown out of the backseat rather than scorched to death. Unlike the driver of the cab. Evan stared at the fried mutant in shock. For a moment, he thought that he was seeing his brother's corpse for the second time. Evan stepped backwards and stumbled over a decapitated mutant arm lying on the ground. Evan recovered from his shock. Reminding himself that he better keep alert if he wanted to remain alive, he raised himself and looked around the area. He saw Tobias' helicopter engulfed in flames. The Director was lying on the ground, shaking his head. Good, the son of a gun was hurt, Evan thought. That would make his escape easier. Evan turned his head and gasped at what he saw. "Dave!" he shouted. His nemesis was standing on top of the tank. He quickly grabbed a gun lying near him and aimed at the otaku. From this angle, he had a clear shot at the person who had made his life hell. He straightened his arm and squeezed the trigger. ********** FAQing Hostile: Subcultural Mutant Otaku Versus the Mundanes Chapter 20 By Mark "who quit looking for a penname" Poa FAQing Hostile originally spawned by Twoflower ********** The green-skinned mutant swung his claw in a downward arc towards Dave. Dave dropped his gun and instinctively raised his arms to protect himself. He closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable. BANG! Dave opened one eye and peeked. The mutant was lying on the ground, purple blood oozing from the bullet hole at the side of its head. Relief flooded Dave's consciousness. He turned his head, expecting to see Vixen or B1ff or Rachael standing behind him. No one was there. That was weird. Who fired that shot? Dave looked around. Something caught his eye. At a distance, near a smoking wreck, a man was jumping up and down. "Oro?" Dave muttered. ********** Miss? How could he have missed that shot!? Evan would have cursed his fairy godmother or his guardian angel, if only he was certain he had one. He squeezed the trigger again. Nothing. He used the last bullet in the gun to save Dave! The irony of it all was not lost to Evan. Evan jumped up and down in anger, muttering curses he had recently learned that would have made Walt Disney spin in his grave. He stopped jumping and looked frantically around for another gun. There were none around. His eyes happened to look in the direction of Tobias. Evan grinned wickedly. The Director was sure to have a gun with him. He ran towards the Director. Evan reached Toby just as the Director was starting to get up. He reached toward the Director's robes in search of the weapon. Toby, still a bit dizzy from the explosion of his helicopter, took a while to notice the teen tugging at his robes. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?" the Director demanded angrily. He reached into his left coat sleeve and brought out a small caliber gun. "Stop that or I'll make a mess of your cranial features," he warned, aiming the gun at Evan's head. Evan immediately backed off, hands held in the surrender position. "Mice," Evan muttered dejectedly. "Good. I have enough problems without having to deal with you." Toby turned towards the otaku tank. He noted with relief that it was still incapacitated. That would give him enough time to send in the reinforcements. Little did these otaku know that Evanston had been assimilated by the Lord of Wares a few days ago. Still pointing the gun at Evan, Toby tapped his communicator watch. "Evanston charter, please respond. Repeat, please respond. This is Director Tobias Williams. I request a squad of virii reserves to be sent to sector 34DS." There was a pause before the other side answered. Toby frowned at the reply. "Look, I don't care if you have other orders! I want you to send in that squad now!" he shouted into the communicator. Again, the reply came in an undecipherable burst of electrical cracks. "Tell the Director there that I need his cooperation. This is for the benefit of the Lord! I expect that you will be here shortly." Toby tapped off the communicator and returned to looking at Evan. "I am not pleased that you're such an unpredictable element. I had hoped that you would see things my way eventually and aid me. However, as things stand now, I cannot risk a wildcard. Now, move!" He motioned with his gun for Evan to move. Toby led him to the ruins of the helicopter. The flames had died down somewhat. Toby motioned with his gun again. "Look inside that and see if you could fine some rope." Evan reluctantly obeyed, peering into the wreckage slowly. He climbed into the cockpit, being careful not to move too close to the flames still burning. "Find anything yet?" Toby asked impatiently. Evan climbed out of the wreckage and held out his hands again. "None, your stinking majesty," he replied sarcastically. "None at all?" Toby inquired again. Evan shook his head. Toby sighed and shrugged. "Oh, well, I was hoping I could simply detain you until the squad comes. Killing people is such a messy task. However, I simply cannot allow you to mess up my victory." He held the gun with both hands and aimed carefully at Evan. "Goodbye, Mr. Evan." Evan froze in shock. He had thought that the Director wouldn't really kill him. He still had a lot to live for. He hadn't even hurt Dave yet! He clenched his fist in anguish. "Curses!" he muttered under his breath. Toby grinned ferally. His fingers started to squeeze the trigger. A high shrill whistle sang through the air above them. It was followed by a loud boom coming from the direction of the otaku tank. "Eh?" Toby turned his head around and saw three tanks coming towards them. The middle one was waving a flag with the familiar red, blue, green and yellow design of their cult's arms. Toby managed to smile. "Well, well, they actually came early. I'm surprised. Pleasantly surprised. Now back to dealing with..." Toby returned his gaze to Evan and saw the lad casually tiptoeing farther away. "Hey you! Stop!" He said and fired a shot. The bullet hit the sand in front of Evan's foot. Evan immediately stopped and raised his hands again in surrender. He sighed. Toby moved closer to Evan. "Now, just behave yourself. I'm in such a good mood right now that I will not kill you. Yet." He listened to the low rumble of the approaching tanks and smiled. Things were going his way, at last. His final victory was at hand. Soon, he would be promoted and Directress Richards would finally take notice of him! Toby laughed maniacally, throwing his head back in mad overlord fashion. When he stopped, he saw Evan tiptoeing away again. "I said, stop that!" He fired another shot at the spot in front of Evan's feet. "Darn it!" Evan grumbled as he raised his hands again. "Now where was I? Oh, yeah," Toby remarked and returned to issuing his own version of the Mad Maniacal Laughter (tm). ********** "Ow!" Rachael winced, holding her head. She came to on the tank floor with a severe headache. She looked at her hand. No blood. At least, that meant that she was not bleeding. Though from the way her head throbbed, she had hit her head on something hard. She gingerly made her way to the door, sidestepping the fallen candles at her feet. Her headache showed no sign of abating. She stopped to lean on the wall and massaged her temples. "Rachael?" "Mom?" She jerked her head up. She saw her Goth mother crouching in front of her. The older Goth held a gun and motioned for her to stay in her place. "Mom?" Rachael clutched her head, confused. Why was her mother here? She shook her head and saw that the surroundings had changed. Instead of Sherman's interior, she saw the peeling posters and decorations she saw in Disneyland. It didn't make any sense. "Stay there," her mother said. Her eye makeup was starting to run from being wetted by tears. Tears? Rachael didn't recall her mother crying before. "Father's just sleeping. Remember that." Rachael couldn't understand why, but she nodded. "I'll be back." Her mother stood up and clutched her gun to her chest. "I'll be back," she said before running off. "Mom! MOM!!!" Rachael shouted after her disappearing mother. Tears started to blur her vision. She blinked and saw that she was back inside Sherman again. Why did she remember all of this? She had worked so hard to forget! Weeks of memory repression techniques shot to hell! Rachael tried her best to hold back her tears, to maintain her Aura of Apathy. She was certain that if her parents saw her like this, they wouldn't approve. But she couldn't stop. The tears kept coming out. All of the pent up frustration and sorrow came flooding out. She finally managed to wipe away the tears. What would her companions say if they saw her, the apathetic Goth, crying? She sniffed to clear her nose and wiped her eyes on a black lace undergarment. She stood up and felt her way out the door. She headed for the cockpit. She tried to muster up her Aura of Apathy as much as she could. But the memory was still fresh in her mind. ********* Dave watched as the figure who saved him run towards the wreckage of the helicopter they shot down. He wanted to run towards the guy and thank him for saving his life. He almost made it halfway down Sherman when he decided that he had more important things to attend to. He had to make sure Vixen and the others were alright. Dave made his way back to the hatch. He climbed in the tank again and looked around. Everyone was still out cold. "Sherman!" he called. "Yes, Dave?" the computer answered. "Do you have any self-repair programs? I mean, can you fix yourself up even without B1ff or Vixen?" he asked. "I do possess such features, Dave. However, these are only for minor repairs and status reports." The computer monitor in front of Dave blinked and changed to a screen showing the layout of the tank with several areas flashing red. "Unfortunately, the damage the weapons system sustained will require more than 48 hours of self-repair. The tread system can be replaced automatically, but that would also require at least 3 hours," the electronic voice narrated. "Hmm..." Dave thought for a moment. He wished Vixen or B1ff were already conscious. It was hard to think about what Vixen would do in this situation. "Sherman, get to work on the treads. We need to get the heck out of here." He paused, then, "and do you have a first aid kit somewhere around here?" "Look inside the compartment to your right, Dave. I shall work on the treads." The computer hummed and the monitor showed the red section of the tank treads was slowly changing green. Dave rushed to the compartment. He opened it and checked inside. A dusty white box with a red cross design on its lid was inside. Dave took it out and laid it on a table. "What's happening around here? Not that I care or anything." Dave turned around and saw Rachael coming through the door to the control room. The Goth girl had an ugly bruise on her forehead and was moving unsteadily. Her eyes seemed to be a bit reddish. Rachael stepped over a fallen cup and stumbled. Dave rushed towards her and helped her maintain her balance. "Thanks," Rachael muttered. "I'm fine, really." Contrary to what she said, Rachael had trouble maintaining her Aura of Apathy, especially when she saw the others unconscious on the floor. Rachael sensed a certain foreboding, like something bad was going to happen next. "Don't mention it." Dave smiled a little at the Goth. Rachael nervously smiled back. Dave helped her sit down on a chair and returned to opening the first aid box. "Umm, could you help me with this? I don't know much about first-aid or anything," Dave asked Rachael. She nodded and helped him look through the first aid box. "Dave," Sherman's voice sounded suddenly that Dave and Rachael almost jumped in shock. "I must warn you. Sensors indicate several vehicles approaching. They are coming from the direction of Evanston. They are heavily armored and..." An explosion to the side of the tank interrupted Sherman's exposition. The ground shook from the blast. Rachael was caught off balance, but she managed to jump from the chair and into Dave's arms. Dave caught the girl but was pushed backwards to the ground by the impact. He immediately rolled and placed himself over Rachael, using his body to protect the girl from random falling objects. "Possibly hostile," Sherman continued after the shockwave subsided. Dave opened his eyes. He tried to stand up but winced when he felt a sharp pain at his upper right arm. He had a cut probably caused by a piece of glass that fell from the table. He held the wound with his left hand and slowly sat up. Rachael looked shocked, but she immediately scrambled up and sat next to Dave. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Dave. You got hurt because you were protecting me!" Rachael reached out to touch the wound. Dave winced. "It's not your fault." Dave managed to grin weakly. "Hold that," Rachael ordered and stood up to get some bandages from the medikit. She found the bandages but they had fallen into the tank floor and were already dirty. This wouldn't do, Rachael thought. She returned to Dave and sat down next to him. Dave was surprised when Rachael grabbed at the edge of her short skirt and tore off a long strip of cloth. The fact that it made her skirt even shorter almost made Dave develop a nosebleed. Rachael wrapped the strip around Dave's wound and tightened it. Dave noticed that she had tears in her eyes. Rachael wiped them off and looked up at Dave. "I know that I'm not supposed to care about anything. But I'm scared, Dave. So scared." She hugged Dave forcefully. Dave was taken by surprise at Rachael's expression. It wasn't usual for the girl to be affected by anything. He wrapped his arms around the gril, unsure of what to say or do. "I already lost my family and tribe. I know that they don't want me to care about that. But I keep thinking about how they were killed by the Ears. I keep thinking that I might lose you and Vixen and B1ff and Phreakachu. I don't want to lose you, Dave," she said as she looked up. Dave gulped as he looked at Rachael. He had never seen the girl this emotional before. She looked more beautiful because of it. "I...I..." Dave couldn't think of anything to say. "Dave, there are intruders around the perimeter. I'm sorry. I cannot utilize defensive measures." Sherman fell silent as he shut down. Dave turned around and saw a robed figure silhouetted in the hatchway. Two armed men behind the figure aimed their machine guns at them. "Well, now. Isn't this cozy?" the figure said. ********** Toby was furious. It was supposed to be his moment of glory. He had the otaku in his grasp. They were powerless to fight back. The FAQ was finally going to be in his hands. He would have finally gained the respect he deserved. It was supposed to be perfect. "I demand an explanation!" Toby shouted. "You had no right to take over my operation! The Lord of Wares himself gave me that mission!" He would have emphasized his tirade by pointing at the offender. However, the fact that he was handcuffed and on his knees severely hindered his actions. "And I demand to know why I am being treated as a prisoner! I am a member of the Directorate!" Two of the captured otaku and their kiboist companions were also bound at another side of the room. All of them were fully conscious by now. The armed special unit virii guarding and prodding them with their armalite rifles kept them quiet, however. Their collective attention was on the robed woman standing in front of Toby. Directress Richards' lips curved into a small smile. She looked at her fellow Director and explained in a condescending tone. "My dear Director Williams... Oh, excuse me, was calling you a `dear' too personal? We haven't really gotten to know each other that much, have we?" Directress Richards watched Toby silently fume. "I'll have you know, *Tobias*, that the Lord is not pleased with you. You have expended numerous system resources and access time just to chase after these..." She looked at her other prisoners with distaste, before continuing, "...otaku. I cannot believe how inept you must be if these people gave you a hard time." Vixen gritted her teeth. "S1s, c4lm d0wn," B1ff whispered. He got a rifle butt to the side for that. "Shut up, until the Directress says you can talk," the guard warned. The Directress pulled out a piece of paper from her robe sleeve. "I have here your termination papers. These were printed by the Lord himself and signed by the High Priest. I am here to oversee your termination." Jenine Richards moved closer to Toby. Toby stared hatefully at the woman he had thought was his ideal. Now the only person he saw was the woman who had stolen everything he had worked for. He saw his executioner. "If you think I'm going to beg, don't waste your time," Toby replied defiantly. "You've already taken everything from me. I have given my everything for the Lord and this is the reward I get!" He closed his eyes. "I don't suppose you'd give me a last kiss?" Directress Richards smiled. She came close enough for Toby to smell her perfume. She leaned over. Toby gulped. He didn't think she'd actually do it. It was going to be the last he was going to get. He could feel her breath as she moved her mouth closer to his. Richards stopped just as her lips almost touched Toby's. "'Fraid not," she whispered huskily. She stepped back quickly as Toby jerked his eyes open. Rage filled him once again. He tried to stand up and rush Jenine. Five shots rang in quick succession, stopping Director Williams' plans. That, and his heartbeat. Toby fell to the ground dead, eyes still open. His blood pooled under his body. Zircona stared at Toby's open-mouthed face in shock, almost in hysterics. Nick only stared. Vixen continued gritting her teeth. B1ff tried to soothe Zircona by whispering to her, but got another rifle butt for his efforts. Jenine regarded the corpse of her ex-co-Director with disgust. She gave Toby a kick to the side. He didn't move. The Directress ran a hand through her red hair. "Dump him somewhere and make sure someone cleans out the stains." Two of her men rushed to comply with her orders. The Directress approached the four tied up prisoners. "So, you are the otaku. And you," she looked at the kiboists, "are the kiboists sent here to get the artifacts." Nick looked shocked. "How did you..." he began, but was interrupted by a rifle butt to the face. The guard sneered at the kiboist. Jenine ignored the guard's actions. "I suppose a relic such as this..." She motioned behind her and a guard brought in a computer monitor. The screen of the monitor was all blue. She continued, "...would be important for your sect. You see, I have done some research on your tribe." She looked at Nick again. "I wonder. Would they even notice what happened to this relic?" She moved her hand up. The guard holding the monitor let go of it and it crashed to the floor in a shower of sparks. Nick stared at the destroyed antique in open- mouthed shock. "Oops," the Directress said in mock surprise. Her smile returned as she saw the kiboist look at her. "Don't worry. Your tribe didn't even know we already have Evanston under our control. They wouldn't know of anything that happens to you." The guard standing next to her handed her a gun. Directress Richards aimed the gun at Nick's head. Nick stared at the gun and felt fear. He closed his eyes. "If I were to kill you," Jenine asked the frightened man, "do you think they would know?" She squeezed the trigger and the gun clicked. Nick flinched. "Oh, did I scare you?" the Directress mocked, then laughed. Vixen couldn't take it anymore. She interrupted her laugh by screaming out, "Alright, so you're a sadistic bitch! What's the point in all of this? Why don't you just kill us now!" Three of the guards leveled their guns at Vixen's head. Vixen paused. She knew bad odds when she saw it, and this was, obviously, VERY bad odds. Jenine sneered at her. "Patience, my otaku friend. You shall die soon enough. However, we have yet to gain information from you. We shall commence with the torture tomorrow." She clapped and the guards started to haul up the four. "I trust you will find your stay with us interesting," she added. The guards took the four to another floor and locked them inside a room. Zircona sat in a corner, still in shock. Nick went over to her and tried to comfort her. "W0nd3r wh3r3 th3y c0uld h4v3 t4k3n D4v3 4nd R4ch4el?" B1ff whispered when the guards finally left. "I don't know," Vixen muttered. "It's a good thing Phreakachu managed to evade capture. We could only hope that Sherman can complete his self-repairs and that Phreakachu can bust us out of here." Vixen looked at his brother. "Can you use the bakusai tenketsu?" B1ff shook his head, then winced. He sat down on the floor. "N0 c4n d0, s1s. Th0s3 guy5 r34lly d1d 4 numb37 0n m3. 1 c4n f33l b7u1s3s 0n t0p 0f my bru1s3s." He tested the rope binding him and grimaced. "S33? 1 c4n't 3v3n g3t th3s3 0ff4 m3." Vixen nodded. "Guess we have to wait for the right chance." She looked at the locked door. "I just wish I had a gun with me." ********** Somewhere within the headquarters complex, the otaku tank sat silent. Sherman waited on standby until his sensors indicated that the guards had left. Only then did he reboot his systems and continue his self- repair protocols. It was a stroke of luck that the Directress Richards held the otaku in such low regard. She did not realize that they were capable of creating an AI system on board the tank. Nor did she bother to check the black boxes that she categorically grouped with the other "junk." "Systems 50% operational." The computer hummed as he processed the data his sensors had gathered. "Location: Evanston. Sensors indicate 54 personnel within the building. Estimated 48 hostile." Sherman concentrated his energies on the repair of his tank treads. Small wires continued to silently mesh and strengthen, slowly reforming the damaged tank treads. "Estimated time of completion of mobilization systems: 6 hours. Estimated time of repair of weapons systems: 24 hours." "Conclusion: continue present course of action. Wait for proper moment. Continue monitoring Miss Hiroshima and the others." Sherman's monitor lit up. "Detecting movement. Phreakachu located and appears to be in motion. Monitoring Phreakachu's progress." ********** Phreakachu sniffed the air around him. He was close. Their scent was strong around this area. He was sure of it! He peered around the corner cautiously and saw no one around. Phreakachu immediately scampered through the hallway. He paused again at the next corner. The smell was even stronger now. He also detected other unfamiliar scents. He cautiously poked his head around the corner. He saw two guards standing guard outside a plain brown door. Phreakachu's senses told him that what he was searching for was just behind that door. He drank all of the content in his small whiskey bottle and tossed the now-empty bottle to the side. The sound of crashing glass distracted the two guards for a second. Phreakachu took advantage of that second to quickly charge at the two. "Pikaaaaa CHUUUUU!!!" Phreakachu shouted as he executed a massive thundershock attack. The two guards caught the full blast of the attack and fell to the ground, unconscious and smoking. Phreakachu grinned. It was too easy. His small size and fast speed were partly why he hadn't been captured yet. The fact that he looked like a stuffed toy and was able to mimic one also helped him go unnoticed. However, if anyone ever found out that last part, Phreakachu would have to have that person killed. Phreakachu opened the door by jumping up and twisting the knob with his paw. The door opened and Phreakachu went inside the room. "Pika!" Phreakachu exclaimed happily. He found them! Phreakachu scampered up the cupboards and grabbed the packs of Marlboros. He opened up a pack and popped a cigarette to his mouth. Lighting it with his lighter and taking a long huff, Phreakachu sighed contentedly. It had been a while since he ran out of cigarettes. ********** "Phreakachu ceased motion three floors below the location of Miss Hiroshima. Detecting Dave on the same floor as Miss Hiroshima's group. Unknown yet familiar signature found in same room with Dave. Continuing monitoring," Sherman reported to no one in particular, while continuing his self-repairs. *********** At first, Dave wondered why he and Rachael were separated from the others. He chalked that up to the fact that they were captured conscious, unlike the others. Next, Dave worried about where they could have taken Rachael. Their captors said something about "orders." Dave couldn't understand, but he was worried for his friends. He was taken to a room and shoved inside. There was only one other person inside the room. At present, though, Dave was struggling to breathe. His cellmate was choking him with his handcuffs. "Gah!" Dave shouted as he pushed the other guy away from him with his body. "What's your problem? You some kind of psycho or something?" The stranger stared daggers at him. Dave backed up a bit. "You! You! YOU!!" the man shouted, taking a step forward with each word. "Curse you, Dave! You're the one who was the cause of all my suffering. You are the one who made my life a living hell!" Dave looked at him confused. "You know, for some reason, I'm reminded of something. Are you an otaku by any chance?" Dave asked, while walking backwards to avoid the strange man. "Otaku? You think I'm otaku?! I was an Ear, dammit! But all that changed because of you!" At this point, Dave was already backed into a corner. He looked down at the shorter man and saw a fury in the teenager's eyes. "You killed my brother! I have come to avenge his death!" The boy charged at him with his handcuffed hands. Dave dodged, still looking confused. "Brother? I don't even know you! How did you know my name?" Dave asked between dodges. "Quit that, will you?! Eep!" Dave eeped as he dodged another swing from his cellmate. Dave stumbled and fell on his behind. The other man loomed over him, smirking. "Evan," the man remarked. "What?" "I said, my name is Evan." The guy's sneer appeared to grow bigger. "I just wanted you to know the name of the person who is going to kill you." He proceeded to kick Dave. "Damn it! Stop that!" Dave kicked Evan's knee. Evan lost his balance and feel flat on his back. Before Evan could stand up, Dave got up and headed to the other side of the room. "Look, I don't know you. I don't even know if I did kill your brother. Are you sure it wasn't Vixen or someone? I'm not that good a shot, you know," Dave reasoned. "And besides, if you haven't noticed yet, we're prisoners here. Don't you have anything better to do than try and kill me? Like getting out of here or something?" "I. Don't. CARE!" Evan shouted. He rushed at Dave again. His rage prevented him from seeing a piece of paper on the floor. He stepped on the paper, slipped and fell on his face. "Ouch!" Evan mumbled in his prone position. Dave looked at him and sweatdropped. He sat down. "Stuck inside a room with a maniac who wants to kill me. Great! What else can go wrong?" he mumbled to himself. He checked Evan to make sure he wasn't getting up. The boy looked like he hit the floor a little too hard. Dave sighed again. He thought about his friends and his spirit leapt up. "No! I cannot give up! I cannot give up!" Dave stood up as he recited several lines from the different anime shows he saw. "In the name of the Moon! For the honor of the Saiyans! For truth and love! To protect the world from devastation! To unite all peoples within our nations! To protect our green earth! I cannot fail!" He powerposed. Dave was tackled to the ground again by Evan. Evan grasped Dave's collar in his handcuffed hands and hauled his head close. His eyes narrowed. "'To protect our green earth'? You already saw Nadesico?" Dave gulped. The way Evan was looking at him could have bored a hole through his skull. "Nadesico? Where did you hear about that? I thought you were an Ear?" Evan brought his face closer to Dave. "None of your business. Now, talk! If you answer me well enough, I may not kill you. Yet." Evan lowered Dave's head. "What happened to the Jovian lizards? Who did Akito choose between Yurika and Megumi? Was Gai Daigoji really dead? Did the Nadesico win? How many episodes of Nadesico were there?" Evan asked in rapid fire succession. Dave gulped again and hoped he remembered enough from the FAQ to survive this. ********** "Monitoring and repair continuing. Detecting Rachael two floors below Miss Hiroshima and others. Systems 67% operational. Mobilization system repairs require four more hours." ********** Directress Richards leafed through the FAQ as she walked along the corridor. She wondered what was so special about it. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary. It was a regular compendium with a lot of pictures and colorful pages. Nothing special, actually, she thought. Maybe there was a code in it, she wondered. She would have to get the lab boys to analyze the pages of the FAQ for her. That can wait until she reaches more respectable settlements than this dump called Evanston. She reached the door to her room. She motioned for her guard to remain outside her room. The guard stiffened a little when she turned. Probably a new guy, she thought. Probably hadn't seen many women within the organization. She smiled. She knew that type too well. She opened the door with her special card key. She entered and locked the door behind her. She was eager for her "treat" inside. ********** The guard breathed a sigh of relief. So far, so good. His plans were already whacked out when Directress Williams usurped Toby's plans. And after all the hard work he put in with the Director, too. Things were moving too fast for his old plans. He had to severely adjust his time table and make his move. Luckily, the Directress appeared to be becoming a bit overconfident with her successes. That was good for him. It would be easier to get the FAQ as long as the Directress was not expecting anything. In addition, from his research and surveillance, he knew that the Directress would be distracted within the next few minutes. That was the time for him to steal the FAQ. He took out his card key simulator and started to work on opening the door. ********* Her bonds were strong. Rachael had been trying to untie the ropes holding her for hours now. She wondered why she had been separated from the others. The guards who captured her took her to this large room and tied her to this chair. From the dim light, she could see the table near the wall with a computer and a bed in the other side of the room. Rachael continued struggling with her bonds. She froze when she heard a click as the door opened. She watched as the robed woman entered. It was the leader of those who captured her! The woman -- Directress Richards, her guards had called her - walked slowly towards her. She saw that the Directress carried Dave's FAQ in her hands. The Directress laid the FAQ on the table. She took off the hood of her robe and Rachael the woman more clearly. The lady turned and grinned at her. For some reason, Rachael felt uncomfortable seeing her grin. "You're a pretty young thing, aren't you?" the woman remarked while she approached her. Rachael continued trying to break her bonds. The Directress was standing in front of her now. Her grin looked more feral up close. From somewhere under her robe, she took out a whip. "Now, don't you worry. We're just going to have some fun," she said as she stretched the whip and tested it. She raised Rachael's face with the whip handle. "Aww, don't worry. You'll be enjoying yourself soon." She smiled then frowned. The Directress slapped Rachael's face with her left hand. Rachael stifled her shout. She had heard of these types of people from her mother. Hell, her aunt was like this! She didn't want to give her the satisfaction of hearing her scream. She looked up defiantly at the Directress. The Directress smirked. "Feisty, eh?" she remarked. "I like that. It would make things more interesting." She stepped back and stretched her whip again. Taking a practice crack, the Directress continued, "I don't see any need to get rid of your clothes. I can work around that enough." She reared back her whip. "Feel free to scream anytime you like. Oh, and call me Mistress." She brought her whip down. The whip managed to hit Rachael's arm, causing red marks to appear. Rachael gritted her teeth and stifled her shouts as the Directress continued to whip her. After what seemed like an hour, but was in actuality only three minutes, the whipping stopped. Rachael opened her eyes slowly, wondering what happened. The Directress was frowning. "Hmm, you're tough, aren't you?" she noted. Her frown changed to a grin. "I guess we should use something else." The Directress moved to the bed. Rachael looked at her arms. They were covered with whip marks. From the way her legs and face stung, those parts were probably covered with them, too. A shuffling sound to her left startled her. She looked at the area of the table but saw no one else inside the room. Directress Richards' voice brought her attention back. "Maybe this will make you scream out in pain." She turned and saw that the Directress was holding a knife in her right hand. Jenine Richards approached her slowly. When she was near Rachael, she ran the knife edge over Rachael's face. Rachael tried hard not to flinch. "I wonder which part I'll start with first?" she said sadistically. Rachael felt the cold steel on her cheek and gulped. She heard the shuffling sound again. Apparently, the Directress heard it, too. She immediately stood up and yelled, "Who's there?" She hurled the knife at the side of the table. A hand appeared out of nowhere and batted the knife away with a gun. The knife clattered to the floor. A figure started to appear. He tossed the cloak he was wearing at the Directress. "Damn! Cover's blown," said the man as he grabbed the FAQ on the table and headed for the door. "Stop! Who are you? Stop right there!" the Directress shouted. She ran after the fleeing spy. Before leaving the room, she grabbed her communicator and started issuing orders. "Everyone, we have a spy in the premises! Capture him immediately! There will be a promotion for whoever catches him!" The Directress took a moment to restore her hood over her head before running out the door. Rachael watched the proceedings, surprised by the speed things were happening. She still had to get out of this place. Her eyes caught sight of the knife. It was close! She lifted the chair until she was near the knife. She still could not reach it with her hands. She had to get her hands closer to the knife. She started rocking her chair to bring it off-balance. The chair finally crashed to the floor. In doing so, the backrest of the chair broke, giving Rachael enough slack to stand up and remove her bonds. Rachael blink-blinked at this, but afterwards she just shrugged and made her way out the door. She had to find Dave and the others. And she had to avoid getting captured. ********** "Rachael is in motion. Several personnel monitored also starting to move. Possible danger imminent. Need to increase repair speed." Sherman scanned the immediate area for spare parts. His sensors detected an interesting object. "Computer port within range detected. Releasing data jacks now." Two wire jacks snaked their way from the tank to the data ports. The jacks inserted themselves into the slots and started the data transfer. "New resources assimilation starting." Two wires with pincer-like attachments moved from under Sherman and started to haul electronic equipment under the tank, where other parts of the tank's repair and assimilation system started to weld them to Sherman. "Additional memory and resources confirmed. Assimilation complete." Sherman processed the information from the data jacks. "Data received. Filing new information on hostile group: designated Directorate, Cult of Lord of Wares. Information gathered analyzed. Report will be generated for Miss Hiroshima. Repair and monitoring continues." ********** "You finished with it yet?" Vixen inquired. "Mmff grff," Nick mumbled, the rope he was chewing impeded his speech. The rope finally broke. "Ptui!" he spat out the fibers. "There! Finally got it!" Vixen gave him a quick smack on the head. "Quiet! The guards outside could hear you," she hissed at Nick. Vixen massaged her wrists. "Nice work, though." She walked towards Nick's back and untied his bonds. Nick shook his newly freed hands. "You go and free Zircona. And make sure she doesn't scream or make any sounds," she ordered him. Nick nodded and quietly went to Zircona. Vixen went over to B1ff and worked on his ropes. "Think you can use the bakusai now?" she whispered to him. "1'll g1v3 1t 4 sh0t," B1ff said as his hands came free of the ropes. He gave his hands a quick shake to circulate the blood again. "Y0u guy5 g3t r34dy." He saw that Zircona was also rid of her bonds. The girl seemed to be a bit calmer than before. "W3'r3 g01ng t0 h4v3 t0 f1ght th3 gu4rd5 h4nd-t0-h4nd," B1ff pointed out. Vixen and the others nodded. B1ff crouched in front of the door. He closed his eyes and concentrated. He had a bit of trouble finding the initial spark he needed to use his chi. His body fatigue may be the reason for that. But he did eventually started to feel the same sensations he always felt whenever he used his special technique. He channeled the energy towards his finger. "B4KUS41 T3NK3T5U!" B1ff shouted as he released his chi into the door. The wooden door exploded into wooden splinters. Vixen jumped through the damaged door and immediately executed a combo of martial arts punches and kicks at the stunned guard. The guard feel down bruised and unconscious, never knowing what hit him. Vixen snagged the guard's gun from him. "Let's go!" she shouted at the others. They nodded and followed her. B1ff felt like he was ready to collapse but the two kiboists supported him. Feeling Zircona's body pressed to his gave him some needed energy. ********** Evan was stunned. He couldn't believe it. Yet, from the way Dave told the story, he found no reason to believe that Dave was lying. "They were human?" Evan asked incredulously. Dave nodded sagely. "It came as a surprise to almost everyone who ever watched the show. I was surprised myself," he replied. Evan couldn't believe that the story was far more complex than he had imagined. Living on nothing but Disney flicks, Evan was used to familiarity of plot, to simplicity in humor, to American cultural references. But this, all of this, was something entirely new. "Tell me," Evan said slowly. "Are there more of these `anime' series? Are they just as good as Nadesico?" He looked at Dave with pleading eyes. Dave was surprised by the sudden change in attitude in the other man. And to think that this guy was trying to kill him a few minutes ago. Such was the power of anime, he reasoned. "Yes, there are a lot more wonderful anime," Dave preached. One should not lose the opportunity to spread the otaku way, after all, Dave thought to himself. "If you want, you can come with us. I can show you my collection. Even if you were an Ear before..." Dave stopped when he noticed that Evan was silent. An Ear. That's right, he was an Ear, Evan remembered. His mission was to avenge his brother by killing his killer. How could he have forgotten his mission. And he was here, talking to his brother's murderer like they were members of the same Mickey Mouse club. Evan gritted his teeth and looked up. "Eh?" Dave exclaimed when he saw the same hate-filled eyes Evan wore earlier. This was not good. Evan may be handcuffed, but he was more ferocious than Dave. "Umm...Want to hear about the Nadesico movie now? I can tell you all about that, too." "I don't care!" Evan screamed. Dave was thrown back by the emotion behind the scream. "You," Evan said as he pointed at Dave. "You may have caused me to forget my goal. But you will not distract me again! I will kill you now, Dave!" He charged at Dave. Dave dodged each swing of Evan's handcuffed hands. But the constant evasion and running away was making him tired. Evan, however, kept attacking like a madman. "Can't we..." Dave dodged a kick. "Talk this..." He rolled under Evan's two-fisted swing. "Out?" He jumped back to avoid Evan's body tackle. "Will you please stay still?" Evan exclaimed as he threw another kick at Dave. "No," Dave replied as he ran to the other corner of the room. He watched Evan and noticed the other one starting to breathe heavily too. At least he wasn't the only one getting tired, Dave noted. "Are you sure you haven't seen Ranma 1/2 yet? You kinda remind me of Ryouga," Dave asked. "Huh?" Evan replied quizzically. "I don't know of any Randa." He remembered a brief mention of the same word in those discs he read, but shook the thought out of his head. Dave was trying to distract him again. He wouldn't let him. "Prepare to die, Dave!" he yelled as he charged. A grenade explosion blew open the door. The door flew through the air and hit the charging Evan. Evan was knocked out cold. "Oro?" Dave exclaimed. He saw that there was some kind of chase going on outside. Their guard was lying unconscious outside the door. A few more virus guards ran through the hallway, but they didn't pay any attention to the open door. Their attention was fully on the one they were chasing. "Maybe it's B1ff and Vixen making their escape. I must get out of here, too," Dave said to himself. He stepped over the ruined doorway and out into the hallway. He peered from side to side and made a run down the hall. "I hope I can find them." He rounded another guardless corner. "And my FAQ, too." ********** "Every available virus, proceed in the search for the infiltrator," Jenine Richards ordered into her intercom. "Ma'am, the otaku has escaped!" a virus reported in. "What!?! How did they... Never mind! Include them in the search as well. Search every inch of this compound if you have to! I don't care if they're still breathing or not!" Jenine nearly shouted. "Yes, ma'am!" the virus answered, a hint of panic in his voice. Jenine seethed as she grabbed her rifle from her locker. How dare they make a fool of her in her own territory! She would have them soon enough, she was sure of it. Then, they would experience her displeasure. ********** Evan woke up. He rubbed his sore head and looked around the room. Dave had escaped him again! Angrily, he went out the room, looking for his enemy. He spotted the fallen guard and took a minute to get the dead virus' gun before continuing his search. He could almost smell Dave's death now. ********** Vixen fired off two shots at their pursuers. One scored a direct hit to Extra's eye. The other hit the wall next to the other one. The three Extras left in pursuit were almost near them. "F@#% it!" she swore. She reloaded her clip while running and aimed back at their pursuers. "PIKAAAAAAAA CHUUU!!!" came from behind the Extras as they experienced first-hand the pain of a thundershock attack. The guards fell down on the ground smoking and twitching. "Y0u rul3, Phr34k!1!" B1ff cheered. Phreakachu motioned for the others to follow him. "Pika," he said as he bounded off. "Follow him. He must know where Sherman is," Vixen commanded. The two kiboists complied. Nick limped slowly with a wounded leg. Zircona supported him in walking. B1ff guarded their rears. He had managed to regain his strength during their run and was ready for action. Sticking to the shadows, the group nonetheless had to kill off two more Extras before they reached their destination. Phreakachu led them to the garage where Sherman was parked. The furry pokemon opened Sherman's hatch with his paws and motioned for the others to go inside. Vixen hurried the others to the tank. "W00h00! 1t'5 gr34t t0 b3 b4ck h3r3!" B1ff exclaimed. He took his seat in front of the monitor. "Sh3rm4n, h0w'r3 y4 d01n'?" "Greetings, B1ff, Miss Hiroshima," Sherman piped up. "Systems are 80% operational. However, I am afraid that our weapons are still not fully repaired. We can, however, move out within one hour." "B1ff, go and help Sherman make that in 15 minutes. The two of you," Vixen said as she handed two guns to the kiboists, "keep on guard. We don't know if that bitch is getting close." Nick and Zircona nodded. "It might interest you to know, Miss Hiroshima, that Dave and Rachael are also in motion. They appear to have escaped their holding cells. They are both in the floor above us," Sherman reported. Vixen nodded. "Okay, B1ff, get those repairs done within 15 minutes. Nick, you and Zircona keep an eye out and protect this heap. I'm going after those two." She got another gun and tucked it into her fuku. "Y0u'r3 g0in' 4ft3r th3m, s1s?" B1ff asked without taking his eyes off his work. "Damned if I let anyone in that bitch's hands," Vixen replied icily. "Besides, I'm hoping to run into that bitch." She cocked her gun and went out of the tank. B1ff smirked. "4ll r1ght, Sh3rm13 0ld b0y, l3t'5 g3t cr4ck1n'." ********** The infiltrator was lost. He cursed himself for his stupidity. First, he threw away his invisibility cloak in a state of surprise. He sure could use it right about now, he mused as he fired at two more pursuing virii. Second, he got mistracked in his escape plan. It turned out that there was a heavy reconstruction around the sewer access pipe he planned to leave through. That set him back several minutes and allowed his pursuers to gain on him. Now, he was running around the complex in circles, hoping to find a familiar landmark to orient himself. He was not a happy camper. "Damn this!" he muttered as he evaded two more bullets from behind. He turned a corner and ran smack into a boy. The boy fell to the ground, breath knocked out of him. The infiltrator stumbled backwards and was hit on the leg by one of the pursuing guards. "Shit!" he cursed as he crouched and fired continuous shots from his two handguns at the virii. The three pursuers fell dead from the volley of fire. The spy turned at the boy. He recognized him as one of the otaku prisoners. He couldn't afford to be hindered. He aimed at the boy with his gun. Dave was shaken from the collision with the spy. He looked at the man and saw it. "My FAQ!" he yelled, lunging at the man's jacket to snatch at the FAQ. The man, caught by surprise, fired the gun upwards. Dave didn't notice the gun and was surprised by the shot. "Whoah!" Dave exclaimed as he stumbled backwards, but he managed to maintain a hold on the FAQ. The spy regained control of his weapon and once more leveled it at the teenager. He saw the boy froze as he aimed the gun. "I'm sorry about this kid, but it's for the good of the future restored U.S. of A.," the spy explained. Dave gulped and closed his eyes. He was getting into a lot of these situations, he noted. "Dave's mine!" came the shout followed by two shots. The spy reeled back from being hit in his right shoulder. The wound made him drop one of his guns. "Shit! Another one! I don't get paid enough for this!" he cursed as he fired at the approaching boy. Evan continued advancing and firing like a madman. He would not be denied his revenge this time. Dave heard the chaos and rolled under the fire to take cover behind a corner. Evan was hit with a bullet to the right shoulder but his wild shooting managed to hit the spy with another lucky shot. This time the spy was hit in the left wrist, making him drop his gun. The infiltrator cursed once again and ran for safety. "I did it! Dave's mine, all mine!" Evan exclaimed as he passed out on the ground, exhausted. Dave cautiously peeked out of his hiding place. He saw Evan slumped face-down on the ground. He looked at the FAQ in his hands and clutched it tight to his chest. He would never ever let the FAQ out of his sight again. He cautiously scanned the area around. The other man had gone down the hallway. Dave did not care where he went, though. He was more concerned about how to get out of the place and find Rachael and the others. He sneaked across the hallway. He hadn't gone a few meters from Evan's body when he heard the shout. "Dave!" Dave turned around. "Vixen!" he shouted back. "Great! Where are the others?" "We're down with Sherman! Hurry, we're almost ready to leave!" Vixen answered. She waved him to hurry with her gun. Dave reached Vixen. That was when Directress Richards chose to come in. ********** "The escapees are pinned down in the corner, Directress," the special elite virus reported over the intercom. Jenine smiled. She would have them yet. She hurried to join her men. She preferred an up close view of her captives' deaths. ********** "What the hell are you thinking!?" Vixen demanded from Dave. She looked from her firing to see Dave hauling Evan's body to their hiding place. "I can't just leave him," Dave explained. "He'll get killed out there." "He'll get killed either way. He's just excess baggage for us. Who is he anyway?" Vixen asked while reloading an extra clip into her gun. "Don't really know." Dave shrugged. Vixen looked at him quizzically. "Seems he has a grudge on me. He said I killed his brother or something. But get this: he has seen Nadesico. I think he could be a potential otaku recruit," Dave narrated. Vixen studied him. She saw in his eyes that rare but familiar glimmer of backbone that, said whatever reason she came up with, Dave would continue to argue for his idea. She finished her reloading and said, "Okay, but he's your responsibility, newbie. I don't think he's going to live too long anyway. One hint," Vixen paused and pointed at the body. "You don't drag an unconscious person by his feet and drag his head on the floor. That's going to give him a freaking headache when he wakes up." Dave dropped Evan's feet and grinned sheepishly. Vixen tossed him her spare gun. "C'mon," she said, "let's break out of this joint!" She grinned. Dave grinned back. He felt a certain feeling of satisfaction from it. ********** "They're right behind that corner, Ma'am," the elite guard pointed at the place. "They've been quiet for a while, but we can't get any nearer without being shot." "Idiots!" she berated them. She grabbed a rifle from the nearest guard and cocked it. "Everyone, on my order," she signaled for them to get ready to attack. "CHARGE!" she shouted. The six-man squad immediately complied rather than risk her anger. The charge was supposed to draw out the surprised otaku out of their hiding place. However, things didn't go as Directress Richards intended. The two front runners were caught by surprise with two bullets to their chests and arms. The two fell dead. Richards saw the two otaku leap out of their makeshift shield of furniture and started firing. The boy was a lousy shot but eventually downed a guard. The otaku woman, however, managed to kill the remaining three with four bullets. Richards realized too late that she was out of guards. She gritted her teeth in anger. No way would she allow these trash to defeat her! She crouched, aimed and fired her rifle. The boy yelped and leapt back behind the shield. The otaku woman, however, performed a high-jump and somersaulted over the Directress. Jenine Richards stared in open-mouthed surprise as Vixen's body went over her and landed behind her. She turned around quickly and saw the barrel of Vixen's gun. "Game over, bitch. Time to say goodbye," Vixen said as she squeezed the trigger. Jenine saw her life flash before her eyes. There was a bang as the gun fired. ********** B1ff was finishing up the repairs on the tank. He punched in the last keys and shut the trap door. "Th3r3! H0w 4r3 y0u d01ng, Sh3rm?" he asked the computer. "Quite fine, B1ff. Systems 97% operational. We can commence our escape within 20 minutes," the AI system responded. B1ff opened the hatch and let his head out. He scanned the area worriedly. "Wh3r3 c0uld th3y b3? Wh4t's t4k1ng th3m s0 l0ng?" "B1ff, detecting Miss Hiroshima approaching," Sherman reported. B1ff turned to the warehouse door and saw his sister and Dave running through it carrying a teenage boy. He waved at them. "H3y, d00dz! Hurry 1t up!1!" Vixen and Dave quickened their pace. They reached the tank just as several guards came chasing after them. "Start up the tank, hurry! They're right behind us!" Vixen ordered. She pushed Dave and the other teen into the tank where they sprawled on the tank floor. Vixen quickly took her chair inside the control room. "Sherman, plot a course out of here! We're making out escape!" "Hai, Miss Hiroshima," the computer answered. Sherman's recently fixed engines rumbled to life. The tank started its motions. The treads moved and it started to accelerate towards the garage exit. The guards continued to fire at the tank. However their bullets were not very effective against Sherman's armor. Those guards who were in the way quickly made way to avoid being flattened by the oversized tank. "We are now leaving the building," Sherman reported. "We can effectively be away from Evanston within the next hour." "Good," Vixen replied as she slumped back on her chair. It had been a grueling escape. "Wait!" Dave suddenly shouted from behind. "We're forgetting someone!" ********** Rachael made her way carefully around the corner. Even though she managed to get a gun, she preferred to avoid the guards. She knew that she didn't stand a chance alone. Rachael peeked around the corner and saw no one on the stairs. Taking a deep breath, she broke into a run down the stairs. She remembered that there was a door leading outside at the end of the lower hall. That was where she and Dave were brought into the building. She raced down the hall and straight to the door. Thanking her karma that there were no guards, she opened the door and stepped outside. She was free! Now she had to find a way to really escape from this place. She also had to find out where Dave and the others were. A small voice at the back of her head scolded her for thinking about the others. A larger voice simply didn't care what the little voice said. She heard a slight rumble to her left and quickly turned around. In the distance, she saw the unmistakable form of Sherman roaring away. She saw that Sherman passed the border fences of the Evanston compound. They had left her! They had escaped and they had left her behind! Rachael dropped to her knees in her stunned realization. She rationalized that she should have expected it. Vixen never really wanted her there in the first place. She probably decided it was better to leave her than waste time to look for her. B1ff only liked her for her body, so he wouldn't complain now that Zircona was with them. Phreakachu never really cared about anything about her, except for her scented candles. And Dave... Dave wouldn't have left her. He was her friend. He wouldn't... Would he? Rachael ran. She didn't know in what direction, but she didn't care. Her eyes were starting to blur because of her tears, but she didn't care. Instead, she felt a strange feeling, one she rarely felt before. A sense of loss. She didn't care for much before in her life, so whenever she lost something, she simply didn't care. But this time, she realized that she felt a sense of loss. Why? She didn't really understand fully why. She only knew that seeing Sherman leave and knowing she would never see Dave and the others again made her feel an emptiness in her heart. Rachael continued to run until she stumbled on a discarded tin can on the ground. She fell face first into the dirt. Why did they leave her? Rachael became aware of a strange rumbling on the ground. She lifted her head and looked at the distance. Her eyes widened at what she saw. They're coming back? Sherman was coming back! She jumped to her feet and ran towards the approaching tank. She wiped her eyes as she ran, knowing that she would never hear the end of it if the others saw her. She felt light and happy, as she came closer and closer to the tank. She saw Dave halfway out of the hatch looking for her. When he saw her running to them, he shouted something and motioned for her to hurry up. She felt even happier. It was like coming home. Sherman stopped as Rachael climbed up the tank's side. Once she was safely inside, Dave turned to her. "To think we almost left without you." Rachael shrugged, a plain expression on her face. "Whatever," she monotoned. Dave looked disappointed. He frowned. Rachael's plain expression slowly changed into a grin. "Thanks." She saw Dave look confused before grinning back. Home. Was that what it felt like? ********** "Okay, people," Vixen addressed her companions inside the control room. With her were B1ff, Dave, and Phreakachu. Evan was still unconscious at the back. Zircona and Rachael were tending to each other and Nick's wounds. Vixen continued, "We have several injured, low amounts of ammunition, and damaged weapon systems. We need to get to a neutral or friendly territory fast." Everyone present nodded. "Sherman, what's the nearest tribe that fits our needs?" she asked the computer. "According to the Fourth Impact files, the nearest trading tribe is two hours away," Sherman noted. "S33ms l1k3 th3 b3st w3 c4n g0 0n," B1ff piped in. Vixen nodded. "Okay, Sherman, direct a course towards that tribe," she ordered. "Hai, Miss Hiroshima," the computer replied as it complied. ********** "Dave...mumble,mumble...kill you," Evan mumbled, still semi- unconscious. Phreakachu paused briefly as he listened to the mumblings. The pokemon shrugged and returned to his pot. ********** "We did the best we could, Directress. It's a miracle you're even alive. Half your face was damaged by the gunshot. We're afraid that we had to give you the implants," the cult medtech reasoned. "Hand me the mirror," Directress Richards ordered, still lying on her back. "Er, yes, well I must warn you that things are not what you're going to expect," the medtech answered hesitantly. "The MIRROR!" Jenine shouted. The medtech complied and handed her the mirror with shaking hands. Directress Richards looked into her reflection. After a few moments, she banged the mirror to the nearest table with a shout of "ARGGHH!!!". The medtech's assistant chose that moment to disappear from the room. Jenine Richards removed the medical apron. She attempted to stand up, but her knees were still a bit wobbly. The medtech rushed to her side to help her. "Go away!" Richards shouted as she pushed the medtech away. The poor fellow crashed into his equipment table and scattered the various implements on the floor. Directress Richards stood up and walked slowly out the room. Outside, a virus elite guard waited for her. Jenine noted that the guard's face paled a bit on seeing her. The guard lowered his face and reported. "Ma'am, the tank managed to escape us. But we are currently tracking them. The otaku will not make it far." Jenine tensed at this. She felt the anger rising inside of her at the mention of her former prisoners. "We have also captured the infiltrator. He was wounded and didn't make it out of the building. We found him inside a closet. He's in the next room being interrogated," the virus added. Jenine Richards moved past the guard and into the mentioned room. Inside, she saw the spy tied up in a chair. Dried and fresh blood mingled in his shirt. The spy was very beaten up. He raised his head with great difficulty and tried to focus on the new entrant. The two guards who were doing the interrogation moved back when they saw the Directress approach. One of them spoke up, "He wouldn't tell us anything. He won't talk." Richards regarded the spy coldly. She made her way to the nearby table and grabbed a pistol. "He won't talk? Fine." Richards turned around and aimed the gun at the spy's head. The spy instantly recognized his future, but was powerless to prevent it. "I don't care," Jenine said cooly as she fired the gun and blew the spy's brains out. The two guards stared at the dead prisoner in surprise. "Clear him out and dump him somewhere," Jenine ordered as she set the gun down on the table. She walked outside the room. As she walked, her thoughts turned back to the otaku, especially to the woman in the leather fuku. Her anger returned as she thought about that gun aimed at her face. She would track them down even if it cost her everything she had. She would track them down and have her revenge. She would have her revenge soon enough. As she fumed, the Directress' left eye grew a bright red. ********** "So, our spy inside the Directorate had failed," a shadowy figure asked to his cohorts. "It would seem so. He has failed to retrieve the FAQ," his equally shadowy companion replied. "Smith, what is our course of action now?" the third figure in the room piped up. Behind his desk, John Smith puffed on his pipe and furrowed his brow in thought. He spoke up and addressed his three companions. "We have no choice. Even if our resources are limited, we need to get that FAQ. For the glory of the soon to returned United States!" "For the glory of the Restored CIA!" the three other figures piped up. "Doe, Hancock, Boy," he nodded to each of the three in turn. "I am counting on you. Go and make the Republic of Richard Stands proud!" The three nodded. ********** FIN Chapter 20 ********** Author's Notes: First, chapter 4, then 12, then 20; 7 chapters in between each. If this trend continues, I might be on deck to write chapter 28. ^_^ More on this later. 60+K. Largest I ever wrote for a single chapter. I knew that I wanted to write a long chapter, but this far exceeded my expectations. ^_^ If the later parts seemed a bit rushed, that's because they were. ^^;;; I didn't want to leave the next author with a cliffhanger ending. I know the feeling of being handed a "What the HELL! I have to continue this?!" type of ending. I know it's not pleasant. Since all of this was my idea, I didn't want to leave the chapter without going through with them. Anyway, first goes the thanks. Thanks to all those folks in the FAQing ML (though I wonder why they were mostly silent these past days). Special mention goes to Nathan Espino and Sharyna Tran for catching my grammar flubs and responding to my pleas for comment. Lots of luck to Shan and the other future writers after me. I hoped that the readers enjoyed the twists and turns in this one. I certainly had fun planning all those twists out. This was meant as an action chapter. While my past chapters were generally character/plot development pieces, I wanted this one to have more action than I normally do. I hope I pulled it off nicely. ^_^ Those who think I gave too many plot twists would be glad to know that some of it wasn't supposed to be that way. FAQing MLers would realize how I changed my plans towards the end. I also intended this piece to close off some plot points, create some new situations, and generally be a semi-ambitious chapter. It was my decision to kill off Toby and I'll accept any negative reactions to it. I felt that Toby was not being utilized well enough as a villain. He was too weak. I felt the series, going into post-chapter 20, needed a new main (deadlier?) antagonist. Plus, the spy thread was hanging around too long without much development. Here's a little push to give it steam. ^_^ I think I should try to explain the last joke, at least. Why Republic of Richard Stands? Who's Richard Stands? I saw this article in a magazine that commented about how, everyday, schoolchildren are made to pledge their allegiance to the flag of the United States ... and to the Republic for Richards Stands. ^_^ What else to add to my massive author's notes? Oh, yeah, I also wanted to announce that I won't be signing up for chapter 28. I still like the whole concept and might sign up again if the series reaches 40 or so (Yeah, I'm that optimistic. ^_^) or if it's put in ending mode, whichever comes first. ^_^ But right now, I think I'll stick to omakes first. Expect some FAQing Hostile omakes from me in the future. ^_^ Yeah, I'll shut up now. ^_^ Mark Poa Recklessflyer@mechpilot.com ^_^^_^^_^^_^^_^^_^^_^^_^^_^^_^^_^^_^^_^^_^^_^^_^^_^^_^^_^^_^^_^^_^^_^