[FIC] First Impressions (part 6)
Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2005 3:29 am
There was the sound of a loud horn in the distance.
Darkness filled most of the huge expanse, with the small amount of light filtering through small windows showing shadowy stacks of crates. A flickering flouerscent light panel added a surreal nature to the warehouse.
A musty smell filled the room, a clear sign of poor ventilation.
Shaking her head again, and straining at the ropes that bound her, Kaname tried to fight her way back to full consciousness. Opening her eyes, she tried to get some idea where she might be.
What had happened?
Oh. Right. The airport. The airport and Arastols. Something had pricked her arm, and…… and…… and what? More than that…… why? Something else clamored for her attention. There were people she should be thinking about. Sousuke! And her father. Ayame too.
“Ow-w-w-w-w.”
The ropes were rubbing her raw. The posture she was forced to endure wasn’t doing much for her back. And there was a damn itch she was unable to scratch.
Obviously, Sousuke had been unsuccessful in his attempts to rescue her. Turning her head, she looked for signs of the robots, but saw none. That didn’t mean anything, though. The creeps who kidnapped her could have an army of the damn things standing around her and she couldn’t make them out in the poor light.
A light turned on overhead, illuminating the bound girl and the area immediately surrounding her. That helped someone else see her, presumably. It didn’t give her any clue who might be holding her.
“Well, it looks like Sleeping Beauty is finally awake.”
The voice appeared to be male. There was no way to be entirely sure, because the sound was clearly being modified by electronics.
Kaname frowned. She did not feel like gracing anyone with a response unless she had too. Especially not some jerk that had to hide his voice, or didn’t have the courage to confront her, tied up as she was.
“Hmmmm. Not too talkative are we? Pity, since I’m told you were a sparkling conversationalist.”
The voice was accompanied by laughter. That had Kaname muttering under her breath. Great. Just great. Not only was she dealing with some secretive jerk, she was also faced with some jerk who thought he was clever.
Trying to wriggle her hands free without success, she wondered if it was someone whom she had come across in the past.
“I would think that you would be in a cheerful mood. This has given you a chance to stay in Japan, hasn‘t it? And, by the sound of it, you had a marvelous opportunity to see just how much your boyfriend cares for you. At least, I hope that was him.”
Kaname grimaced. She was in no condition to be annoyed, but found herself growing irritated just the same. How did this idiot know so much about her? And why was he making reference to Sousuke? Trying to assess the construction of her chair, she wondered if she could break it in such a fashion that allowed her to slip out of her ropes. No such luck. The seat was wrought iron.
Wonderful.
The horn sounded again. She had not dreamed it. Was that a large ship? Could she be at one of the ports close to Tokyo? Unable to see her wristwatch, she sighed. She could be near the shoreline in any nation with an ocean or a large river. There was no way to know how long she might have been out, or how far she might have been taken.
“Do you think you might be a bit more talkative if I have someone cut the ropes? There isn’t any hope for you to escape, even if could find your way out of this building.”
Craning her neck, Kaname saw that the huge rows and stacks of boxes and containers that stretched in every direction, looking almost mazelike in their arrangement. No doubt, there would be guards around as well, human or otherwise. Unable to keep silent any longer, she spoke.
“Sure. Why not? Maybe you can turn on some more lights, or step out where I can see you. The other bad guys in Amalgam weren’t cowards.”
The sound of amplified and filtered chuckling filled the room.
From behind her, Kaname heard a voice come through on some unseen communications device. Not long after that, a man dressed in a trench coat and nondescript clothing walked up and sliced through her ropes with a wicked looking knife. Unconcerned for her welfare, he managed to nick her in the process, causing her to flinch.
“Yes, you do have an attitude, don’t you. And what makes you think that we’re Amalgam? I mean, aside from the robots, and the fact that we saw fit to bring you by for a visit….”
Kaname sat up straighter and rubbed the sore spots on her wrists. The thick ropes had left deep impressions in her skin, not to mention a nasty friction burn.
“Is there really a need to keep things secret? I mean, you’re probably going to kill me when you get what you want, right?”
The chuckling resumed, followed briefly by a wheezing cough. When the man spoke again, he seemed to be in good cheer. “Probably. No, definitely. But that doesn’t mean that I should act like those idiotic villains in televisions and movies, does it? It always irks me when they go into those foolish monologues….”
Kaname stood up and stretched her arms and legs. Tossing her hair, she reached up and felt one of her earlobes. It was sore and bloody. One of her earrings must have caught on something and been torn out. Damn, she really like that pair.
Sousuke had brought them back for her after one of his missions.
Sousuke. He must be really worried. Was there anyway that he could track her? She had packed the satellite phone he had given her in her carry-on bag, but had dropped that before running. That was the only thing she knew that she had that could be traced. She had left her purse behind too. That was the place that the big idiot routinely hid things for her benefit.
Despite the situation, Kaname smiled. It was never to Sousuke‘s benefit when she discovered one of his tricks. “Then, I guess this is going to get really boring, then.” She stretched again, then made a point to check her nails.
The man barked a quick laugh. “Well, we do need to do something to pass the time, while we wait for young Mister Sagara to show up. At least I pray that’s who Mithril sends. He went to the trouble to hide a tracking device in your clothing, after all.”
Kaname froze. She trembled ever so slightly. “You want Sousuke to show up? Why? Is this some kind of trap? Is he the one that you’re after? If so, why didn’t the robots go after him?”
More lights went on. Kaname took a moment to look at her surroundings. It was obviously some kind of warehouse. Walking over to read the markings on one box, she pursed her lips.
“My my my. Full of questions, are we? As you can see by those crates, we’re in one of the buildings that the authorities use to store supplies for possible future disasters. You know, earthquakes, floods, and the like. It’s really funny, since my organization hopes to be the cause of that kind of thing some day.”
Kaname felt dizzy. Just what was going on here? These bastards wanted Sousuke to find them? But why? If they simply wanted him dead, they could have sent the damn Arastols after him all at once. They wouldn’t have had to play their hand early, just because she was at the airport.
“Figure it out yet? I suppose not. Being Whispered doesn’t mean that you are inherently clever. It simply means that you are a rather special cookie jar of sorts. In this case, I guess that’s an added bonus…… if we can mange to keep you alive while we carry out our primary purpose.”
“Jerk!” Kaname clenched her fists. She was too angry at that moment to be frightened. Enough was enough. She was not just some kind of commodity. At least Leonard had looked at her with a different kind of interest as well. “Oh. I’m sorry. I guess I should be more polite. That should be Mister Jerk!”
The laughter continued for a long time. The unseen speaker suffered a few paroxysms of coughing in between laughs, but seemed intent on expressing his full mirth just the same. “Charming. So utterly charming. I suppose if you need to call me anything, you can call me Mr. Platinum. That’s my idea of a little inside joke.”
“OK-a-a-a-ay….” Kaname said, then grumbled ‘Freak’ under her breath.
“Not amused? Well, perhaps I will tell you a bit more after all. As you might have found out, the principal players in Amalgam used to call each other by names based on various types of metal: Mr. Gold…Mr. Silver… cute little names like that.”
Kaname remained silent, knowing there was more the man wanted to tell, feeling some need to gloat about something or justify some action.
“Those that were not judged worthy or powerful enough merely had derogatory names or tasks. Some of us were referred to as Mr. Iron, as that is one of the metals that cannot form an amalgam with mercury. Many of us with that designation had a short lifespan. One such operative was aboard that cruise ship you and your class enjoyed.”
That ‘us’ marked the man as a servant of Amalgam. But, the way he spoke made that sound like a thing of the past. Things were becoming curiouser and curiouser. If he was so angry at his one-time bosses, why was he interested in Sousuke?
“But, how the mighty have fallen. The fools had been so close. Mithril teetered at the very brink of ruin. And yet, the fortunes have reversed. Their loss, our gain.”
Kaname felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. Even disguised by electronic measures, that voice held hints of instability, maybe even madness.
“There’s another metal that won’t form an amalgam. Can you guess what it is? Platinum. That’s fitting, I suppose. Like the ancient Egytptians, the Incas created adornments from platinum. But the invading Spanish Conquistadors saw little use for the this metal, and deemed it ‘silver of lesser value‘, or platina. They even went so far as to throw great amounts of the metal into the sea, thinking that it might become a cheap imitation for silver. Just like those idiots in Amalgam misjudged me.”
“And you are going to strike at them?” Kaname tried not to sound hopeful. Could the mystery man want to join forces with Sousuke in some fashion, or at least work towards a common purpose?
If that were the case, why had she been treated the way that she had?
The voice laughed again. “Oh, that’s wonderful. I don’t need to strike at them. They’ve had their fangs pulled for now. But, the time is ripe for a new power to fill the very vacuum that they left behind. Did you know that platinum is the hardest of the precious metals, and it never tarnishes?”
“Yes,” Kaname answered. “My mother had some platinum jewelry. It was her favorite.”
“A woman of taste, your mother. But, being a woman, that’s probably all that she knew about the king of metals. The constituents within amalgam corrode when more noble metals such as platinum or palladium are present nearby. A nice parallel, wouldn’t you say?“
“Ummm…… I guess so…“ Kaname wrinkled her nose. This was something like the early conversations she had with Sousuke, when she was convinced that he was nothing more than a military otaku.
“Platinum’s unique chemical and physical properties that make it essential in a wide range of industrial and environmental applications. Despite that fact, it took the world a while to realize just how important platinum was.”
Kaname was now officially creeped-out. The guy sounded like a whacko alright. Her luck was continuing true to form. So….” She pushed her hair away from her face. “This is all so you guys can show how…… ummm…… important you are?”
“Ahhhh…… brains as well as beauty. Did you know that approximately 10 tons of raw ore must be mined to produce just one pure ounce of platinum? It’s true. In the same way, it will be necessary for a great many people to give their lives so that we can take our rightful place in the scheme of things. You know two of the names already.”
Kaname swallowed hard. She knew exactly who the maniac meant. Sousuke, and herself.
For a moment, she wondered if the man could be Gauron. It was scary to think that mankind could produce more than one person that unbalanced. But, he couldn’t possibly be that monster, since Sousuke had told her how he had shot a crippled and dying Gauron during the Hong Kong mission.
“How will that make a difference? We’re not that important.”
“You do yourself a disservice, my dear. Your name is known in certain circles, as is the identity of the scar-faced young man who pilots the Arm Slave known as Arbalest. Because others have failed to deal with you in a permanent manner, we would gain notoriety by succeeding where they have all failed. But there would be more than that. Yes, much more.”
Kaname felt her heart beating faster and faster. Her bravado had died down, leaving her feeling a burgeoning sense of unease. It was all too tempting to pass this all off as some kind of bluff. However, unless the guy was lying through his teeth, his giving her so much information was a bad sign. It meant that she would never have a chance to pass it on to someone else.
“More?” She tried to calm her nerves.
“Yes, more. It might prove very productive to juice you like plump fruit, squeezing out everything you know about the Black Technology. That might very well end up aiding us in our efforts. But, why work, when someone else has already made such great strides? There is another source of that science, one we might be able to make our own, if your young man would be willing to trade it for you.”
“Arbalest?” Kaname flinched.
“Indeed. If we had that device, what secrets might we be able to add to the knowledge we already have? You witnessed our success in building Arastols of our own. There are other secrets we managed to steal while the arrogant fools in Amalgam were too busy fighting for their very existence.”
Kaname knew that Sousuke had a special relationship with the A.I. in the ARX-7. No one else would ever be able to pilot that machine. But, that didn’t mean that brilliant scientists couldn’t learn important things if they had access to the Arm Slave.
“Sousuke would never do that. He knows that I wouldn’t want him to do that.”
“We have also come to that conclusion. But, it doesn’t hurt to try, does it? As it stands, that infernal machine proved to be a thorn in Amalgam’s side. If we destroy it, the idiots in Mithril will have no longer have a working system with Lambda Driver capability. That will open up so many opportunities for us, and for those who ally themselves with our group.”
Kaname felt a chill run down her spine.
“On top of that, such a coup would look good on our resume, so to speak.”
Kaname’s breathing became quicker. She bit her lip. The whole plot was being orchestrated more to strike at Sousuke and Mithril, than it was designed to take advantage of her and her latent abilities.
If her father ever got wind of the particulars, he wouldn’t bother trying to convince her to board an aircraft with him and Ayame. He’d buy a large pet carrier…… shove her inside…… and check her in at the baggage counter. “Think positively….” Kaname muttered to herself. “We’ll get out of this one too…”
“Did you say something? If you did, the microphone didn’t pick it up.”
“No,” Kaname answered. She held her head up higher, a defiant look in her eyes. “I was just thinking about my rescue.”
The unseen man began laughing again. The lights in the storage area all went dark, with the exception of a few small wall-mounted incandescent bulbs, here and there. “You certainly are spirited. I must say that I admire that. It would really be a chore dealing with one of those meek little girls who simply scream and cry. I really wish I could reward you for your courage, but you know how it is.” There was a brief pause, then an abrupt snorting laugh. “Perhaps there is something that we can do, after all….”
Kaname tried to keep her hopes from getting high. She doubted that the man was talking about letting her go, or about giving her some position in his organization. Even if he had been, what kind of stock could she put in the words of a nutcase?
“The Australian Koala. The Panamanian Balboa. The Manx Nobles from the Isle of Man. The Canadian Maples, American Eagles, and British Entente Cordiale Crowns. The Soviets, for once, would be correct when they claimed to be first, with the 3 Rouble pieces in 1n the 1800s leading up to the 25, 50, and 150 Rouble coins of today. There’s always room for one more.”
Feeling somewhat oppressed by the darkness, Kaname rubbed at her wrists again. Now what was Mr. Bizarro talking about? Coins? She recognized the word ‘Rouble’.
“When we become strong enough to influence economic matters behind the scenes, I think that I will have a platinum bullion coin commissioned with your likeness on it. The Chidori. Has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?”
“It…ummm…… yeh. I guess so. You sure have a thing for platinum, right? Is that going to be the name of your group?” Kaname asked. She knew that she wasn’t going to gather any useful intelligence information for Mithril. She simply felt a need to talk. Talking meant that she was still alive. Talking meant that there was still some shard of hope.
“Tsk tsk tsk. You’d never make a good spy, Miss Chidori. No, I’m afraid that name would be too pretentious. Besides…Mithril… Amalgam… naming organizations after metal has become passé. I’m hoping that we select ‘Al-kimiya’, ‘Khumeia’, or some otherancient name for Alchemy.”
“Alchemy?” Kaname knew what the word meant, but wondered at that choice. “Why that?”
“Why, indeed. There were three main goals that most alchemists sought after. The most renowned goal, or course, was the transmutation of any base metal into a more precious one. Apropos, I think. We’re not interested in a universal panacea, or in creating human life. Though, if Black Technology gave clues to equally miraculous accomplishments, we would be all too happy to capitalize on our discoveries.”
“But, the alchemists all failed in their goals, didn’t they?” Kaname’s curiosity prompted that question…… a query which did not sit well with her captor.
“WE WILL NOT FAIL!”
The response sounded distorted over the aged speaker system. “Don’t think that you can pass judgment on us, the way that those fools in Amalgam did!” The sound of something slamming hard against something else could be heard.
Kaname swallowed hard. She had to be more careful. It was possible that they would keep her alive until Sousuke came, in case they needed her as a bargaining chip. But, there were no guarantees. “I… I wasn’t… I didn’t mean to imply anything.” She tried to swallow, but her mouth was dry. “It was just something that came to mind….”
There was a long pause. Kaname had dreaded the idea of sitting on a long plain flight to America, leaving her homeland further and further behind her with each passing moment.
That seemed like paradise, in comparison to this.
“My apologies. Like you, I have been through a lot. It wasn’t the Alchemists’ results that mattered. It was the goals. The transmutation of base metals into gold symbolized an endeavor toward perfection, a striving for the utmost heights of existence. And while the science of Alchemy devolved into mysticism and outright charlatanism, in the end it provided some of the fundamental knowledge for the fields of chemistry and modern medicine. So, their efforts were eventually rather significant after all.”
“Oh…… OK…”
The rambling conversation continued. At some point, it abruptly came to an end, and things changed once again.
“Yes, working outside of the privilege and power, I was one of those who formed the backbone of…… ahhhhh…… I apologize, but our chat must come to an end. One of my sentries has spotted some vehicles that likely belong to Mithril. You’d think that they could do better than white vans, wouldn’t you? And, one of our people working in a radar station has reported something that might be a transport missile. How predictable. Just what I had hoped.”
Kaname tensed up. Knowing that the act had little chance of success, she took off running in the direction that the occasion ship horns sounded from. Hopefully there would be some door on that side of the warehouse building.
“Run run…as fast as you can… you can’t catch me, I’m the gingerbread man…”
Those words and the subsequent laughter followed Kaname as she ran. Soon, she realized that was not the only thing chasing after her. In the shadows, she saw shapes running and heard human voices call out to one another.
They were the least of her worries.
She could make out red glowing slits, growing larger as something approached her. She had a good idea what those would be. Arastols. Things just kept getting better and better!
“Ow-w-w-w-w-w-w….”
Unable to see well, Kaname had bounced hard off of a stack of wooden crates, and then tripped over something that made a metallic noise. She struck the side of her head on the cold concrete floor, having been able to move her nose and face out of the way at the last instant.
She had always made fun of Sousuke’s paranoia or anal retentiveness, laughing at the amount of things he usually carried in that ubiquitous bag of his. But, right now, she would give anything to have one of his night vision devices.
The sound of the robots’ feet grew louder, as the flat metal and polymer contrivances slapped against the floor. Obviously, with their advanced technology, the machines had no need for light. They were probably able to see thermal images…… pick up the sound of her breathing and heartbeat….. and amplify the low amount of light in the room.
Somewhat dizzy, Kaname ran as quickly as she could under the circumstances. It wasn’t quick enough. A number of the Arastols sped over and formed a ring around her.
“Got her!” One of the unseen henchmen reported to his boss, after witnessing the successful actions of his mechanical companions.
Once again, Kaname was pulled into a robotic embrace. The results were the same.
The Arastol let her unconscious body drop to the floor.
Darkness filled most of the huge expanse, with the small amount of light filtering through small windows showing shadowy stacks of crates. A flickering flouerscent light panel added a surreal nature to the warehouse.
A musty smell filled the room, a clear sign of poor ventilation.
Shaking her head again, and straining at the ropes that bound her, Kaname tried to fight her way back to full consciousness. Opening her eyes, she tried to get some idea where she might be.
What had happened?
Oh. Right. The airport. The airport and Arastols. Something had pricked her arm, and…… and…… and what? More than that…… why? Something else clamored for her attention. There were people she should be thinking about. Sousuke! And her father. Ayame too.
“Ow-w-w-w-w.”
The ropes were rubbing her raw. The posture she was forced to endure wasn’t doing much for her back. And there was a damn itch she was unable to scratch.
Obviously, Sousuke had been unsuccessful in his attempts to rescue her. Turning her head, she looked for signs of the robots, but saw none. That didn’t mean anything, though. The creeps who kidnapped her could have an army of the damn things standing around her and she couldn’t make them out in the poor light.
A light turned on overhead, illuminating the bound girl and the area immediately surrounding her. That helped someone else see her, presumably. It didn’t give her any clue who might be holding her.
“Well, it looks like Sleeping Beauty is finally awake.”
The voice appeared to be male. There was no way to be entirely sure, because the sound was clearly being modified by electronics.
Kaname frowned. She did not feel like gracing anyone with a response unless she had too. Especially not some jerk that had to hide his voice, or didn’t have the courage to confront her, tied up as she was.
“Hmmmm. Not too talkative are we? Pity, since I’m told you were a sparkling conversationalist.”
The voice was accompanied by laughter. That had Kaname muttering under her breath. Great. Just great. Not only was she dealing with some secretive jerk, she was also faced with some jerk who thought he was clever.
Trying to wriggle her hands free without success, she wondered if it was someone whom she had come across in the past.
“I would think that you would be in a cheerful mood. This has given you a chance to stay in Japan, hasn‘t it? And, by the sound of it, you had a marvelous opportunity to see just how much your boyfriend cares for you. At least, I hope that was him.”
Kaname grimaced. She was in no condition to be annoyed, but found herself growing irritated just the same. How did this idiot know so much about her? And why was he making reference to Sousuke? Trying to assess the construction of her chair, she wondered if she could break it in such a fashion that allowed her to slip out of her ropes. No such luck. The seat was wrought iron.
Wonderful.
The horn sounded again. She had not dreamed it. Was that a large ship? Could she be at one of the ports close to Tokyo? Unable to see her wristwatch, she sighed. She could be near the shoreline in any nation with an ocean or a large river. There was no way to know how long she might have been out, or how far she might have been taken.
“Do you think you might be a bit more talkative if I have someone cut the ropes? There isn’t any hope for you to escape, even if could find your way out of this building.”
Craning her neck, Kaname saw that the huge rows and stacks of boxes and containers that stretched in every direction, looking almost mazelike in their arrangement. No doubt, there would be guards around as well, human or otherwise. Unable to keep silent any longer, she spoke.
“Sure. Why not? Maybe you can turn on some more lights, or step out where I can see you. The other bad guys in Amalgam weren’t cowards.”
The sound of amplified and filtered chuckling filled the room.
From behind her, Kaname heard a voice come through on some unseen communications device. Not long after that, a man dressed in a trench coat and nondescript clothing walked up and sliced through her ropes with a wicked looking knife. Unconcerned for her welfare, he managed to nick her in the process, causing her to flinch.
“Yes, you do have an attitude, don’t you. And what makes you think that we’re Amalgam? I mean, aside from the robots, and the fact that we saw fit to bring you by for a visit….”
Kaname sat up straighter and rubbed the sore spots on her wrists. The thick ropes had left deep impressions in her skin, not to mention a nasty friction burn.
“Is there really a need to keep things secret? I mean, you’re probably going to kill me when you get what you want, right?”
The chuckling resumed, followed briefly by a wheezing cough. When the man spoke again, he seemed to be in good cheer. “Probably. No, definitely. But that doesn’t mean that I should act like those idiotic villains in televisions and movies, does it? It always irks me when they go into those foolish monologues….”
Kaname stood up and stretched her arms and legs. Tossing her hair, she reached up and felt one of her earlobes. It was sore and bloody. One of her earrings must have caught on something and been torn out. Damn, she really like that pair.
Sousuke had brought them back for her after one of his missions.
Sousuke. He must be really worried. Was there anyway that he could track her? She had packed the satellite phone he had given her in her carry-on bag, but had dropped that before running. That was the only thing she knew that she had that could be traced. She had left her purse behind too. That was the place that the big idiot routinely hid things for her benefit.
Despite the situation, Kaname smiled. It was never to Sousuke‘s benefit when she discovered one of his tricks. “Then, I guess this is going to get really boring, then.” She stretched again, then made a point to check her nails.
The man barked a quick laugh. “Well, we do need to do something to pass the time, while we wait for young Mister Sagara to show up. At least I pray that’s who Mithril sends. He went to the trouble to hide a tracking device in your clothing, after all.”
Kaname froze. She trembled ever so slightly. “You want Sousuke to show up? Why? Is this some kind of trap? Is he the one that you’re after? If so, why didn’t the robots go after him?”
More lights went on. Kaname took a moment to look at her surroundings. It was obviously some kind of warehouse. Walking over to read the markings on one box, she pursed her lips.
“My my my. Full of questions, are we? As you can see by those crates, we’re in one of the buildings that the authorities use to store supplies for possible future disasters. You know, earthquakes, floods, and the like. It’s really funny, since my organization hopes to be the cause of that kind of thing some day.”
Kaname felt dizzy. Just what was going on here? These bastards wanted Sousuke to find them? But why? If they simply wanted him dead, they could have sent the damn Arastols after him all at once. They wouldn’t have had to play their hand early, just because she was at the airport.
“Figure it out yet? I suppose not. Being Whispered doesn’t mean that you are inherently clever. It simply means that you are a rather special cookie jar of sorts. In this case, I guess that’s an added bonus…… if we can mange to keep you alive while we carry out our primary purpose.”
“Jerk!” Kaname clenched her fists. She was too angry at that moment to be frightened. Enough was enough. She was not just some kind of commodity. At least Leonard had looked at her with a different kind of interest as well. “Oh. I’m sorry. I guess I should be more polite. That should be Mister Jerk!”
The laughter continued for a long time. The unseen speaker suffered a few paroxysms of coughing in between laughs, but seemed intent on expressing his full mirth just the same. “Charming. So utterly charming. I suppose if you need to call me anything, you can call me Mr. Platinum. That’s my idea of a little inside joke.”
“OK-a-a-a-ay….” Kaname said, then grumbled ‘Freak’ under her breath.
“Not amused? Well, perhaps I will tell you a bit more after all. As you might have found out, the principal players in Amalgam used to call each other by names based on various types of metal: Mr. Gold…Mr. Silver… cute little names like that.”
Kaname remained silent, knowing there was more the man wanted to tell, feeling some need to gloat about something or justify some action.
“Those that were not judged worthy or powerful enough merely had derogatory names or tasks. Some of us were referred to as Mr. Iron, as that is one of the metals that cannot form an amalgam with mercury. Many of us with that designation had a short lifespan. One such operative was aboard that cruise ship you and your class enjoyed.”
That ‘us’ marked the man as a servant of Amalgam. But, the way he spoke made that sound like a thing of the past. Things were becoming curiouser and curiouser. If he was so angry at his one-time bosses, why was he interested in Sousuke?
“But, how the mighty have fallen. The fools had been so close. Mithril teetered at the very brink of ruin. And yet, the fortunes have reversed. Their loss, our gain.”
Kaname felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. Even disguised by electronic measures, that voice held hints of instability, maybe even madness.
“There’s another metal that won’t form an amalgam. Can you guess what it is? Platinum. That’s fitting, I suppose. Like the ancient Egytptians, the Incas created adornments from platinum. But the invading Spanish Conquistadors saw little use for the this metal, and deemed it ‘silver of lesser value‘, or platina. They even went so far as to throw great amounts of the metal into the sea, thinking that it might become a cheap imitation for silver. Just like those idiots in Amalgam misjudged me.”
“And you are going to strike at them?” Kaname tried not to sound hopeful. Could the mystery man want to join forces with Sousuke in some fashion, or at least work towards a common purpose?
If that were the case, why had she been treated the way that she had?
The voice laughed again. “Oh, that’s wonderful. I don’t need to strike at them. They’ve had their fangs pulled for now. But, the time is ripe for a new power to fill the very vacuum that they left behind. Did you know that platinum is the hardest of the precious metals, and it never tarnishes?”
“Yes,” Kaname answered. “My mother had some platinum jewelry. It was her favorite.”
“A woman of taste, your mother. But, being a woman, that’s probably all that she knew about the king of metals. The constituents within amalgam corrode when more noble metals such as platinum or palladium are present nearby. A nice parallel, wouldn’t you say?“
“Ummm…… I guess so…“ Kaname wrinkled her nose. This was something like the early conversations she had with Sousuke, when she was convinced that he was nothing more than a military otaku.
“Platinum’s unique chemical and physical properties that make it essential in a wide range of industrial and environmental applications. Despite that fact, it took the world a while to realize just how important platinum was.”
Kaname was now officially creeped-out. The guy sounded like a whacko alright. Her luck was continuing true to form. So….” She pushed her hair away from her face. “This is all so you guys can show how…… ummm…… important you are?”
“Ahhhh…… brains as well as beauty. Did you know that approximately 10 tons of raw ore must be mined to produce just one pure ounce of platinum? It’s true. In the same way, it will be necessary for a great many people to give their lives so that we can take our rightful place in the scheme of things. You know two of the names already.”
Kaname swallowed hard. She knew exactly who the maniac meant. Sousuke, and herself.
For a moment, she wondered if the man could be Gauron. It was scary to think that mankind could produce more than one person that unbalanced. But, he couldn’t possibly be that monster, since Sousuke had told her how he had shot a crippled and dying Gauron during the Hong Kong mission.
“How will that make a difference? We’re not that important.”
“You do yourself a disservice, my dear. Your name is known in certain circles, as is the identity of the scar-faced young man who pilots the Arm Slave known as Arbalest. Because others have failed to deal with you in a permanent manner, we would gain notoriety by succeeding where they have all failed. But there would be more than that. Yes, much more.”
Kaname felt her heart beating faster and faster. Her bravado had died down, leaving her feeling a burgeoning sense of unease. It was all too tempting to pass this all off as some kind of bluff. However, unless the guy was lying through his teeth, his giving her so much information was a bad sign. It meant that she would never have a chance to pass it on to someone else.
“More?” She tried to calm her nerves.
“Yes, more. It might prove very productive to juice you like plump fruit, squeezing out everything you know about the Black Technology. That might very well end up aiding us in our efforts. But, why work, when someone else has already made such great strides? There is another source of that science, one we might be able to make our own, if your young man would be willing to trade it for you.”
“Arbalest?” Kaname flinched.
“Indeed. If we had that device, what secrets might we be able to add to the knowledge we already have? You witnessed our success in building Arastols of our own. There are other secrets we managed to steal while the arrogant fools in Amalgam were too busy fighting for their very existence.”
Kaname knew that Sousuke had a special relationship with the A.I. in the ARX-7. No one else would ever be able to pilot that machine. But, that didn’t mean that brilliant scientists couldn’t learn important things if they had access to the Arm Slave.
“Sousuke would never do that. He knows that I wouldn’t want him to do that.”
“We have also come to that conclusion. But, it doesn’t hurt to try, does it? As it stands, that infernal machine proved to be a thorn in Amalgam’s side. If we destroy it, the idiots in Mithril will have no longer have a working system with Lambda Driver capability. That will open up so many opportunities for us, and for those who ally themselves with our group.”
Kaname felt a chill run down her spine.
“On top of that, such a coup would look good on our resume, so to speak.”
Kaname’s breathing became quicker. She bit her lip. The whole plot was being orchestrated more to strike at Sousuke and Mithril, than it was designed to take advantage of her and her latent abilities.
If her father ever got wind of the particulars, he wouldn’t bother trying to convince her to board an aircraft with him and Ayame. He’d buy a large pet carrier…… shove her inside…… and check her in at the baggage counter. “Think positively….” Kaname muttered to herself. “We’ll get out of this one too…”
“Did you say something? If you did, the microphone didn’t pick it up.”
“No,” Kaname answered. She held her head up higher, a defiant look in her eyes. “I was just thinking about my rescue.”
The unseen man began laughing again. The lights in the storage area all went dark, with the exception of a few small wall-mounted incandescent bulbs, here and there. “You certainly are spirited. I must say that I admire that. It would really be a chore dealing with one of those meek little girls who simply scream and cry. I really wish I could reward you for your courage, but you know how it is.” There was a brief pause, then an abrupt snorting laugh. “Perhaps there is something that we can do, after all….”
Kaname tried to keep her hopes from getting high. She doubted that the man was talking about letting her go, or about giving her some position in his organization. Even if he had been, what kind of stock could she put in the words of a nutcase?
“The Australian Koala. The Panamanian Balboa. The Manx Nobles from the Isle of Man. The Canadian Maples, American Eagles, and British Entente Cordiale Crowns. The Soviets, for once, would be correct when they claimed to be first, with the 3 Rouble pieces in 1n the 1800s leading up to the 25, 50, and 150 Rouble coins of today. There’s always room for one more.”
Feeling somewhat oppressed by the darkness, Kaname rubbed at her wrists again. Now what was Mr. Bizarro talking about? Coins? She recognized the word ‘Rouble’.
“When we become strong enough to influence economic matters behind the scenes, I think that I will have a platinum bullion coin commissioned with your likeness on it. The Chidori. Has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?”
“It…ummm…… yeh. I guess so. You sure have a thing for platinum, right? Is that going to be the name of your group?” Kaname asked. She knew that she wasn’t going to gather any useful intelligence information for Mithril. She simply felt a need to talk. Talking meant that she was still alive. Talking meant that there was still some shard of hope.
“Tsk tsk tsk. You’d never make a good spy, Miss Chidori. No, I’m afraid that name would be too pretentious. Besides…Mithril… Amalgam… naming organizations after metal has become passé. I’m hoping that we select ‘Al-kimiya’, ‘Khumeia’, or some otherancient name for Alchemy.”
“Alchemy?” Kaname knew what the word meant, but wondered at that choice. “Why that?”
“Why, indeed. There were three main goals that most alchemists sought after. The most renowned goal, or course, was the transmutation of any base metal into a more precious one. Apropos, I think. We’re not interested in a universal panacea, or in creating human life. Though, if Black Technology gave clues to equally miraculous accomplishments, we would be all too happy to capitalize on our discoveries.”
“But, the alchemists all failed in their goals, didn’t they?” Kaname’s curiosity prompted that question…… a query which did not sit well with her captor.
“WE WILL NOT FAIL!”
The response sounded distorted over the aged speaker system. “Don’t think that you can pass judgment on us, the way that those fools in Amalgam did!” The sound of something slamming hard against something else could be heard.
Kaname swallowed hard. She had to be more careful. It was possible that they would keep her alive until Sousuke came, in case they needed her as a bargaining chip. But, there were no guarantees. “I… I wasn’t… I didn’t mean to imply anything.” She tried to swallow, but her mouth was dry. “It was just something that came to mind….”
There was a long pause. Kaname had dreaded the idea of sitting on a long plain flight to America, leaving her homeland further and further behind her with each passing moment.
That seemed like paradise, in comparison to this.
“My apologies. Like you, I have been through a lot. It wasn’t the Alchemists’ results that mattered. It was the goals. The transmutation of base metals into gold symbolized an endeavor toward perfection, a striving for the utmost heights of existence. And while the science of Alchemy devolved into mysticism and outright charlatanism, in the end it provided some of the fundamental knowledge for the fields of chemistry and modern medicine. So, their efforts were eventually rather significant after all.”
“Oh…… OK…”
The rambling conversation continued. At some point, it abruptly came to an end, and things changed once again.
“Yes, working outside of the privilege and power, I was one of those who formed the backbone of…… ahhhhh…… I apologize, but our chat must come to an end. One of my sentries has spotted some vehicles that likely belong to Mithril. You’d think that they could do better than white vans, wouldn’t you? And, one of our people working in a radar station has reported something that might be a transport missile. How predictable. Just what I had hoped.”
Kaname tensed up. Knowing that the act had little chance of success, she took off running in the direction that the occasion ship horns sounded from. Hopefully there would be some door on that side of the warehouse building.
“Run run…as fast as you can… you can’t catch me, I’m the gingerbread man…”
Those words and the subsequent laughter followed Kaname as she ran. Soon, she realized that was not the only thing chasing after her. In the shadows, she saw shapes running and heard human voices call out to one another.
They were the least of her worries.
She could make out red glowing slits, growing larger as something approached her. She had a good idea what those would be. Arastols. Things just kept getting better and better!
“Ow-w-w-w-w-w-w….”
Unable to see well, Kaname had bounced hard off of a stack of wooden crates, and then tripped over something that made a metallic noise. She struck the side of her head on the cold concrete floor, having been able to move her nose and face out of the way at the last instant.
She had always made fun of Sousuke’s paranoia or anal retentiveness, laughing at the amount of things he usually carried in that ubiquitous bag of his. But, right now, she would give anything to have one of his night vision devices.
The sound of the robots’ feet grew louder, as the flat metal and polymer contrivances slapped against the floor. Obviously, with their advanced technology, the machines had no need for light. They were probably able to see thermal images…… pick up the sound of her breathing and heartbeat….. and amplify the low amount of light in the room.
Somewhat dizzy, Kaname ran as quickly as she could under the circumstances. It wasn’t quick enough. A number of the Arastols sped over and formed a ring around her.
“Got her!” One of the unseen henchmen reported to his boss, after witnessing the successful actions of his mechanical companions.
Once again, Kaname was pulled into a robotic embrace. The results were the same.
The Arastol let her unconscious body drop to the floor.
Just when Mr Whacko's explanations of his / their motivations was getting interesting 
someone actually's still waiting to see what I do next? Wow.... 
