FullMetal*Panic!

The interior of the car alternated from being dark to being well-lit.

As the limousine driver chauffeured the diners from Chez Pierre on towards home, the passengers each reflected on their own personal thoughts in quiet, until Sousuke spoke up.

“Although the evening did not go as any of us may have wished, I would like to thank you for your generosity, Sir. I cannot judge the quality of the meal, but it tasted very good.”

“It was excellent food,” Kaname said, before Shunya could respond. “But it didn’t matter. I hardly ate a bite. It was a wonderful opportunity, but it was ruined.”

“I… uhhh… I apologize, Kaname. I know that I unintentionally caused….” Sousuke was interrupted.

“I’m not taking about you, Sousuke. Not really.” Kaname sat across from Sousuke in the limousine. “My reactions played a big role in things too, right?”

“That’s something that we need to talk about when the time is right. I can say for one thing…” It was Shunya’s turn to be cut off.

“I was thinking more about my life, Sousuke. Your life, too.” Kaname was in no mood to hear any of her father’s lecturing at the moment. “I worked hard to get to where I am today, just like Chef Sasaki must have worked hard to prepare our meals. But now, someone wants to take it all away from me, ruining everything.” She didn’t need to say who ‘someone’ was.

“But your…” Sousuke couldn’t get his words in.

“We are not going to argue about my decision,” Shunya said. “I understand how you feel, but you are too upset to see things clearly. No matter how hard you worked… and regardless of how many friends you may have made… your life in Tokyo is not some idyllic dream.” He looked across at Sousuke as he spoke. “Kidnappings. The ruckus in the restaurant. Embarrassing mishaps with a film crew. Robots attacking a national airport. Guns, bombs, paper fans… the list goes on and on…”

“You don’t know if things would have been any better in America!” Kaname voice rose a full octave. Her emotions flip-flopped. At first sullen and depressed, she was now agitated and desperate.

“How could they possibly have been worse?” Shunya looked incredulous. The fiction books that he had read as a child… and the anime that Ayame insisted on watching on television…they were all more believable than the stories he had heard since returning to Japan.

“I would think that…” Sousuke was cut-off again. He looked down at Ayame who had leaned against him, watching the family squabble with a disconsolate look on her face.

“I hope we don’t find out, Daddy.” Kaname tugged at her hair. “Wouldn’t it be nice for terrorists to attack your house in New York? You could lose two daughters for the price of one. But, at least we’d be together.”

Ayame squeezed Sousuke’s arm. She looked frightened. More than anything in the world, she wanted to have her big sister around again. But, what would that mean for her and her father?

“The sources I spoke to doubt that will happen,” Shunya said, not feeling nearly as confident as he sounded. “But that is not the issue here. You should show a great deal more respect to your father. It may have been a very large mistake allowing you to live in Japan on your own. I would never have behaved that way towards my elders, no matter what decisions they made for me.”

“Kaname has done very well…” Sousuke tried again.

“I’m not you, Daddy. And you’re not Whispered. You still don’t get it!” Kaname was not just worried about losing Sousuke, she was scared. Sousuke and the Pacific Branch of Mithril were the only things that had kept her from disappearing off of the face of the earth. “This is such a nightmare!” She smacked her hand hard against the window.

“Kaname Chidori. That is about enough of that. You may have been through a lot in the past year, but you are not yet an adult, and you are still my daughter. None of this may seem fair, but I can promise you, it’s all in your best interest.” Shunya had already promised to himself to weather whatever storm was necessary. His life might be very difficult and disruptive in the short-term, but he would gladly bear any burden necessary for the sake of his children.

“Sir, Kaname is normally very respectful. But, her best interest may…” Sousuke was unable to finish.

“Young man,” Shunya said. “You may be the best protector that Kaname could have had in Tokyo. For that, you have my gratitude. However, you also have been a lightning rod of monumental proportions. I need not tell you how that makes me feel.” He pushed his glasses up and tried to maintain an even voice. “Regardless, I would ask you to stay out of family business.”

“Father, this is Sousuke’s business too.” Kaname looked over at Sousuke. “I love him. There. I said it. I know you don’t want to hear how much I care for him, but I can’t help how I feel.” She lifted her chin up, searching for a reference. Knowing that her father enjoyed Shakespeare, she said “I hope this turns out better than the clash between the Montagues and the Capulets.” The reference to ‘Romeo and Juliet' was obvious. “But, maybe it would be best if things turned out the same way.” Let him chew on that one!

“What? Shunya was clearly caught off guard. “I know that you thought about killing yourself in Junior High, but just like the counselors told you, things got better.” He didn’t see the look on Ayame’s face. It was something that was not spoken about openly. “That’s not something to joke about!”

“I didn’t mean that part, Daddy.” Kaname tossed her hair. She knew he would jump to that conclusion. “I meant the part where Romeo and Juliet were secretly married.” Ha. That ought to hit almost as hard!

“Uhhh…” Sousuke looked like a deer frozen by the headlights of an oncoming truck.

“Ooooh.” Ayame cooed. That was something better to think about.

“Somehow I doubt you are willing to go that far, young lady. It was just such a rash action that lead to the tragic outcome in that play.” Shunya said. “And you’re wrong in your assertion that I’m putting the family ahead of everything else, the way that the Capulets and Montagues did.” Shunya ran his hand through his hair, and then worked to loosen his tie some. “Since you brought up Shakespeare, I will say ‘I must be cruel only to be kind. Thus bad begins, and worse remains behind‘.” ‘Hamlet’ was not one of his favorites, but the quotation fit perfectly.

“’It is a wise father that knows his own child’, Daddy.” Kaname quoted the ‘Merchant of Venice’. Unlike her father, she was not fond of plays. But, she had been made to read Shakespeare in English by her father, and had been forced to work through Shakespeare in Japanese at school. She wished that Japan’s fascination with Western art and literature could have run its course before she got to school.

“Shakespeare,” Ayame hook her head. “I hate Shakespeare.”

“Kaname, don‘t assume I‘m either blind, stupid, or selfish.” Shunya remarked. “Keep another quotation in mind. ‘How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child’…” Shunya met Kaname‘s gaze, but she looked away. ‘King Lear’ was one of his favorites. One couldn’t tell it by the tone of his voice, however.

“Geeez….” Aayame hung her head. The look she gave Sousuke said ‘Please, make it stop’.

While Shunya continued to look at Kaname, and she made it a point to look out through the window of the limousine, Sousuke quietly moved to add his own quotes. “I am not good with quotations…”

Kaname turned to give him an incredulous look.

“I will amend that. Other than military excerpts and proverbs, I have trouble remembering quotations.” Sousuke tried to remember things that he had been told. “For Kaname, there is one that speaks of ingratitude.” He swallowed hard, but Kaname was strangely subdued.

“Was it ‘I hate ingratitude more in a man than lying, vainness, babbling, drunkenness, or any taint of vice whose strong corruption inhabits our frail blood?’” Shunya raised an eyebrow. He never thought to hear anyone refer to something from ‘The Twelfth Night’.

“Affirmative. There is another, one I would direct towards you, Sir.” Sousuke had a point to make, whether or not Kaname’s father might think him presumptuous. “I cannot remember the words. There was mention of telling others to suffer their tragedies quietly, while they themselves might complain if they had even fewer difficulties.”

Shunya sat quietly a moment, and then remembered to source the quote. “’A wretched soul, bruised with adversity, we bid be quiet when we hear it cry. But were we burdened with like weight of pain, as much or more we should ourselves complain’.” He was certain that the boy was referring to that quote from ‘The Comedy of Errors’.

“Sous-kay-y-y-y…” Ayame was not happy that Sousuke had prompted even more Shakespeare.

Kaname looked over at Sousuke and managed a smile. He constantly had the power to surprise her.

“I would not have taken you to be one to like the Bard’s work,” Shunya said, taking off his glasses to clean them.

“Sir, the quotations were told to me as lessons, by one of my commanding officers.” He went on to describe Cmdr. Mardukas, thinking that the similarity between the two men was even stronger than he noticed before.

“He seems like an interesting gentleman. It’s a shame I will never have a chance to meet him.” Shunya was speaking politely, rather than expressing any true regret.

Sousuke froze. The wheels in his mind started turning faster. “You could, Sir. No doubt I could arrange it, for Kaname’s sake.”

“Why would I want to meet any of your superiors?” Shunya asked. “To be blunt, I doubt than anything that anyone says can erase the memory of dinner tonight, not to mention my recollection of being kicked over by someone breaking through a window, swinging on a fire hose.”

Kaname sat up straighter, suddenly looking animated. She had picked up on Sousuke’s thought and was the one to run with it. She smiled, thinking of how good a team she and Sousuke were.

“He also risked his life, saving me Father.” Kaname was side-tracked momentarily, a result of her near biological need to be contrary. “That’s pretty memorable too, isn’t it?”
Ayame nodded her head.

“Yes, it is.” Shunya scowled. “I doubt that I will ever forget the fear that I felt when you were gone.” He looked over at Sousuke. “Just as I can’t forget why you were abducted.”

“That only happened once…” Kaname said. “And if someone ever got the idea to use me as a bargaining chip again, no doubt they will know where to find me!” It was time to take things where Sousuke had been headed. “In any case, I don’t think you truly understand just what Sousuke does for the world, or what it means for someone to be Whispered.”

“I don’t…” Shunya was interrupted by Sousuke.

“Kaname is correct. You may learn more about me by seeing what I do. You could learn more about Mithril, and the things we are dedicated to doing. You would have opportunity to speak to someone else who is Whispered, and who is privy to information about Whispered and terrorist threats that neither Kaname nor myself have access to.” Sousuke looked over at Ayame. Another thought came to mind.

Shunya had opened his mouth, but closed it. “They would share that kind of information with me?” As a politician, and someone who routinely had momentous decisions to make that could prove catastrophic if he was ill-informed, he had to consider the value of data and information, if it were certain to be unbiased.

“That question can easily be asked,” Sousuke said. “There is another issue. One that came to mind. I have never discussed it with Kaname, but would be shocked if she hadn’t given it any thought.” He looked at Ayame again, and then met Kaname’s eyes.

“What?” Kaname brought her hand to her mouth. “Oh…”

“Kaname, what is he talking about?” Shunya began to feel a sense of dread, wondering what had his daughter react the way she did.

“I would not wish to frighten Ayame…” Sousuke’s words did just that. “There are cases where siblings are both Whispered.”

“You can’t mean…” Shunya looked over ar Ayame, who was looking up at Sousuke with large eyes.

“Yes, Daddy.” Kaname’s voice was very hushed. “No one knows how the Whispered come to be. But, the girl we know who is Whispered, her brother is as well.” She looked over at her sister. “It’s not a unique situation. I hope that Ayame will be spared from that. But…”

“Daddy?” Ayame had not been told anything about the Whispered. But, the way everyone was talking about it, there could be no doubt that it was a very bad thing.

“It’s nothing to worry yourself about now, Ayame.” Shunya shot Sousuke an accusatory glance.

“It may be that the person whom Kaname and I know could speak with Ayame,” Sousuke said. “Being Whispered, she has been able to communicated with Kaname in ways that she cannot with normal people.” Sousuke swallowed hard when he saw the look Kaname gave him. It said ‘Oh, so I’m abnormal am I? I’ll show you how abnormal when I get the chance’. “It’s possible she could….”

“I understand,” Shunya said, his voice growing fainter. He was forced to cough a number of times. “What point were you originally trying to make?”

“I came with you to a restaurant, Sir. You and your daughters could come with me to the Tuatha Da Danaan.” Sousuke saw Kaname nodding.

“I see…” Shunya looked shocked.

“I’ve already been there,” Kaname told Ayame in a superior voice. “Helped save it once, too. Hmmmpppfff!”

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The modified NH90 NATO twin engine Frigate Helicopter flew steadily towards its destination.

“I’m the only one who can stand straight up,” Ayame said, doing just that. Naturally, the copter began a bank at that time causing her to stumble. She blushed when Sousuke caught her.

“Yes, but you should remain seated.” Sousuke helped her to her bucket-style seat, needing to bend over some in the 1.82 meter height of the passenger area.

“You can try any seat you want,” Kaname put in, a somewhat annoyed look on her face. The seating was arranged in six sections, with the four groups of seats in the corners facing inward and the two central banks of seats facing outward towards the sliding doors. Ayame had been quick to sit next to Sousuke in one of the central groupings. “There are twenty seats to chose from. It looks like Daddy is lonely over there.”

“I’m fine, Shunya said, seated near the front right corner of the passenger area.” He managed a grin, knowing what Kaname was bothered by. “Ayame looks comfortable where she is.”

“We’re not going to run out of gas, are we Sousuke?” Ayame made herself look frightened. She leaned up against Sousuke. “I don’t want to crash.

“It is not a problem,” Sousuke answered as Kaname pulled Ayame closer to her. “At our cruising speed of two-hundred and fourty-five kilometers per hour, we have a range of over nine hundred miles, Even if we flew at our top speed of two-hundred ninety kilometers per hour, we would have more than enough fuel to reach Da Danaan.

“ETA fourty minutes, Sergeant” one of the crewmen called back. “The sea’s calm, and everyone is standing down. Should be a leisurely approach.”

“Very good. Thank you.” Sousuke acknowledged the other man’s wave.

“Do they have any drinks onboard, Sousuke?” Ayame asked. “Snacks?”

“No. Not unless you or your sister brought some.” Sousuke answered.

“Do I look like a stewardess?” Kaname said. “Hmmmpppfff!”

“Yes.” Sousuke said, picking up a military journal that some previous passenger had left behind.

“Ooooh….” Kaname shook her fist at Sousuke. With an impish grin, she grabbed the journal and tossed it over her back, forgetting her father was seated up front. “Ahhh. Sorry, Daddy!” She frowned at Sousuke, decing to blame him for her near mishap. “Enough Otaku stuff mister!”

“Huh?” Sousuke looked all around him. “We are on anti submarine warfare helicopter with anti-surface ship warfare capabilities. We are headed towards the most advanced sea craft in existence. I am a combat soulder.” What wasn’t otaku here?

“Your point being…” Kaname smiled a sweet smile.

“Girls can be difficult when they reach a certain age,” Ayame whispered to Sousuke.

“Affirmative,” Sousuke replied just as quietly. “But, unless I am mistaken, so can boys.” Sousuke decided to let Kaname know it was not good to order around a Specialist in his environment. “Ayame, did you know that helicopters of this type… in the anti-submarine warfare role… are capable of carrying out detection, classification, identification, tracking, and attack of submarines?”

“No, I didn’t.” Ayame was one sharp kid. She winked at Sousuke.

“Well, you will be interested to know that in a typical four-hour ‘relocation on call’ operation, the helicopter would take thirty-five minutes to reach the area of operation, twenty minutes to release sonobuoys, two hours on surveillance in the area of operations, thirty minutes to release the torpedoes and thirty-five minutes to return to the ship and land, with twenty minutes in reserve.” Sousuke looked over at Shunya who was shaking his head. He had picked up on Sousuke’s ploy as well.

Kaname just started tapping her fingers on the dide of her seat.

“In a typical four-hour ‘screening’ operation, the helicopter would take fifteen minutes to reach the area of operation, three hours thirty minutes in the operations zone to carry out eleven consecutive cycles of ten-minute sonar dipping and fifteen minutes to return to the ship and land, with twenty minutes in reserve.” Sousuke watched Ayame give him a big thumb’s up. She had been keeping a sly eye on Kaname.

Kaname began tapping her fingers faster, intent on keeping quiet.

“That’s very interesting, Sousuke.” Ayame felt the urge to giggle.

“In the anti-surface warfare role the helicopter is capable of detection, tracking, classification, identification, and attack of hostile ships and has over-the-horizon capability. Secondary roles include anti-air warfare, vertical replenishment, search and rescue, troop transport, and mine laying.” Sousuke glanced at Shunya again. Surprisng enough, he seemed to be listening in with some degree of interest. When he saw Sousuke looking, he turned away. Much like his eldest daughter might do.

“Sousuke….” Kaname bit her lip. She couldn’t help herself.

“In its standard configuration, the helicopter has a crew of three. The pilot. The Tacco, or tactical coordinator responsible mission management. And the Senso, the sensor systems operator. The cabin of this aircraft is equipped with an avionics bay with a sensor operator station and a tactical coordinator station, a dipping sonar, and a sonobuoy launcher. An advanced weapons platform, the helicopter has ‘fly-by-wire’ all-electric flight controls. The full authority quadruplex system increases the maneuverability of the aircraft while decreasing the weight.”

“Wow!” Ayame was being serious. She was amazed by how much Sousuke appeared to know.

“Sousuke…” Kaname was gripping the side of her seat hard enough to turn her fingers white.

“ The avionics system is supplied by Thales Avionics and is based on a dual MIL-STD-1553B digital databus. The cockpit has five eight by eight inch color multifunction liquid crystal displays for flight, mission systems, and maintenance data. A Honeywell Primus 701A weather radar is fitted much like the current European versions. The avionics package includes the Thales Topowl helmet-mounted sight and display which has a 40 degree field of view. Topowl also equips the Tiger multi-national attack helicopter and and South African Air Force attack helicopter, the Rooivalk.”

“I see,” Ayame said, nodding her head.

“Kaname no doubt knows the meaning of the Afrikaans word ‘Rooivalk’.” Sousuke was really upping the ante.

“Red Falcon,” Shunya said.

“It means ‘Red Falcon‘, Sousuke. Everyone knows that!” Kaname tossed her hair. Her playing along had set her internal timer back to zero.

“Very good, Kaname. You no doubt also know that the helicopter we are riding in… the NATO variants of which are built by Agusta, Eurocopter, and Stork Fokker Aerospace… can be armed with anti-submarine torpedoes, air-to-surface missiles, and air-to-air missiles. The countermeasures suite includes the EADS AN/AAR-60 MILDS missile approach warning system, Thales TWE Threat Warning Equipment with integrated radar warning and laser warning receivers, and MBDA Saphir-M chaff and flare dispenser.” Sousuke loked over at Kaname. She turned away from him, trying to hold her temper.

“Kaname is doing very well in school,” Ayame said, all to well aware of her sister’s academic prowess, due to her father’s constant use of such facts as a motivational tool for her. “But, you seem to be the smart one!” She grinned a particularly mischievous grin.

“Guk!” Kaname put her hand over her mouth just as she was about to speak.

“Are you OK, Kaname?” Sousuke gave Ayame a thumbs up. Shuinya watched the two of them out of the corner of his eye.

Kaname didn’t answer.

“Is there more, Sousuke?” Ayame pleaded with her eyes.

“Yes. I am glad you asked. The helicopter is equipped with a tactical forward-looking infra-red system mounted in the nose, a magnetic anomaly detector, and a sonar suite. The Mithril version has an improved Flash Sonics sonar system from Thales Underwater Systems, which combines the Flash active dipping sonar with the TMS 2000 sonobuoy processing system. There is also a Thales Ocean Master 360 degrees.”

“Sousuke…” Kaname had just about reached her limit.

“More!”Ayame said.

“The aircraft is equipped with an integrated communications and identification management system. The secure radio system provides air-to-air and air-to-ground communications. The TSC 2000 Identification Friend or Foe supplied by Thomson-CSF was developed under German and French co-operation and is adequate for our purposes. The helicopter is equipped with a Link 11 secure datalink.”

“Sousuke…” Kaname’s fingernails had come close to piercing her new knit skirt.

“Hear that noise, Ayame?” Sousuke pointed overhead. “The helicopter is powered by two RTM 322-01/9 engines supplied by Rolls-Royce Turbomeca. The engines are fitted with a FADEC engine control system. The fuel tanks, which hold Nineteeen hundred kilograms of fuel, are fitted with crash resistant self-sealing cells supplied by Uniroyal Englebert Reifen based in Aachen, Germany. The fuel management system is by AFG. The auxiliary power unit, from the Microturbo division of the Labinal Group…”

“S-O-U-S-U-K-E!!!”

Shunya cringed. He never remembered Kaname being this loud.

“Is there a problem, Kaname?” Sousuke looked nonchalant. “Did you wish to tell your sister those details?”

“I…” Kaname frowned. She was detereined not to lose any more points. “No.”

“Now would be a good time to say ‘hmmmpppfff’,” Sousuke said to Ayame.

Ayame shook her head. “That sounds so childish. Don’t you think?”

“I suppose you are right,” Sousuke said.

“There are things that are even more ridiculous,” Kaname said, seeing an opening. “Some things are so obvious, even a child would no better than to do them.”

“Like what?” Ayame followed Kaname’s gaze. “Something about Sousuke?” She grinned. “What! ”

“Uhhh… but…” Sousuke looked bewildered. He had thought that Ayame was on his side. It was embarrassing for a comabt veteran to be caught off guard like this.

“Young girls are fickle,” Ayame said. “Daddy explained that to me once.”

“Now she listens,” Shunya said. Despite his slouching posture, he began to pay even more attention than before. One reason he agreed to this trip was to learn more about Sousuke.

“At school, we had shoe boxes. One day, a girl named Saeki Ena put a love letter in Sousuke’s.” Kaname frowned, even though the story was funny now. The nerve of Sousuke getting love letters!

“Oooooh, what happened? Did they kiss?” Ayames eyes went wide.

“No. Sousuke thought it might be from a terrorist. He blew up his locker.” Kaname smiled until she heard the noise her father made.

“No way!” Ayame looked up at Sousuke. “You though a love letter was a bomb or something?”

“Uhhh…”

“But, later, when the girl was attacked by a group of would be rapists, Sousuke saved her.” Kaname tried to make Sousuke seem heroic. She didn’t mention that he had been in camouflage, watching with his rifle trained on Saeki, prepared to fire.

“Then they kissed!” Ayame clasped her hands together.

“Negative, Kaname struck me, I remember that it hurt a great deal.” Sousuke rubbed his head, remembering.

“Hah!” Ayame clapped her hands. “More!”

“There was a boy named Sirai, who wanted to go out with Kaname.” Sousuke knew that Kaname did not like certain parts of that story. “When someone began writing explicit graffitti about your sister on the boy’s bathroom wall…”

“WHAT?”

Shunya looked over, frowning.

“Sousuke thought it was Shirai. So, he tried to flush his head down the toilet.” Kaname smirked. At the time, she had been enraged. Now, it was a treasured memory.

“However, the author was actually Mizuki, a girl who had been dumped by Shirai. She held Kaname responsible, and had her go along with a plan to teach me to be Shirai, so the friends that she told about him wouldn’t know what had happened. Things went well, until I put my lips on Mizuki’s” Sousuke looked over at Kaname.

“Yes!” Ayame pumped her fist. That earned her a cross look from Kaname, who went on to describe all of Sousuke’s clueless behavior during the staged date. “He is such a moron some times!”

“Really?” Aayame asked.

“You haven’t noticed?” Shunya asked, matching stares with Kaname.

“Yes. I mean, what boy doesn’t notice when a girl goes to the trouble of buying a new skimpy bikini? Geeez. I mean… ummm…” Kaname flinched when she saw her father’s look.

Sousuke went on to describe the tale. Shunya looked incredulous. “You jumped off of that cliff?” He knew the beach in question, having gone there as a youth. “With a balloon?”

“Yes, Daddy. After he rescued me from three very skilled mercenary bodyguards, who he thought had kidnapped me.” Kaname remember floating downward safe in Sousuke’s strong grasp. She sighed.

“Ohhh… I wish that happened to me…” Ayame blushed.

“Ay-am-eeee…” Shunya did not like the sound of that. One reckless daughter was one too many.

Kaname went on to describe Sousuke’s run in with Art Class, the time he forgot her homework and they were chased by officer Wakana, and the way that they had turned the rugby team into winners. She also told him about how he had finally admitted being scraed, when he though that she had been seriously injured. But, it was the next tale that had Ayame sitting on the edge of her seat, literally.

“I happened upon Fuwa-sempai, a boy I had the strongest crush on in Junior High.” Kaname jumped when she heard her father cough. “We went on a date together, to the same amusement park that Daddy used to take me to.” She flinched when he coughed two more times. “I was kind of blowing Sousuke off, but I didn’t know that I liked him yet.” She went o to tell the rest of the story.

“Bonta-kun? No way!” Ayame turned to Sousuke. “You really dressed up as Bonta-kun and kicked the gangster’s butts?”

“Ayame! Watch your language.” Shunya gripped the frames of his glasses so hard that he almost snapped them in two. “He stole the mascot suit, Kaname?”

“Uhhh… it was not the last of that costume’s usefulness.” Sousuke’s description of the powered B-K suit had Kaname frowning, Shunya scowling, and Ayame looking as if she were about to swoon. Sousuke went on to tell the Pony man tale.

“You allowed yourself to be used as bait in a dangerous situation?” Kaname’s father actually began to stand up, but maintained his composure.

“She was not in much danger, Sir.” Sousuke said. “The man merely arranged his victim’s hair in pony tails. She was in far more danger when we helped train the Yakusa gang to be better fighters.” He closed his eyes. Uh oh.

“WHAT?” Shunya did stand up, much too quickly. “SHIT!” He forgot about where he was, banging his head painfully against the ceiling of the passenger area.

“Daddy! Watch your language.” Ayame looked angelic.

Kaname quickly told the story, trying to make the best of things. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to tell these stories after all!

“Uhhh… I…” Sousuke needed a less inflammatory story. Ahhh. That might do. “Some adventures were not fraught with peril. I recall one time when a highly renowned professor donated a rare and endangered clam to Jindai High School. Kaname accidentally ate it. I led the investigation committee to find the culprit who had brutally murdered and innocent and unarmed being in cold blood, using ice picks, and setting it ablaze on an oven."

“YOU?” Shunya stood up again, barely stopping in time. “Kaname, it was you who ate the Tridacna derasa, the Derasa Clam? The rare Southern Giant Clam!” Shunya looked angrier than he had before. “The United Nations South Pacific Aquaculture Development Program supplied funds to pay local fishermen to find those clams for the new sanctuaries. I worked on that project.”

“Thanks, Sousuke.” Kaname hung her head.

“The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, in cooperation with James Cook University and the Royal Australian Navy, organized 'Operation Clam saver' to move the clams. The juvenile giant clams were moved to secret destinations around the Great Barrier Reef by Navy divers. Shipping them is delicate and dangerous. A navy heavy landing craft, HMAS Tarakan, was equipped with large containers of seawater to allow the transportation of the clams with minimum stress.” Shunya sighed. “So few survived. A number were sent to High School and University teachers who once worked with marine life reclamation projects.” She shook his head sadly. “My own daughter, a virtual Eco-terrorist…”

“She used to always eat the last donuts, too!” Ayame said, incensed.

“Why don’t you tell him about the koi too, big idiot!” Kaname froze, her mouth wide open. She must be possessed or something. Prompted by an irate Shunya, she told the tale of Sousuke, Tsubaki Issei, the janitor Mr. Zenji, and the koi he had spent so long caring for.

“I did meet Kaname’s grandfather,” Sousuke put in quickly. That had Shunya turning slowly in his direction. Komura Shujiro. He described himself as a former lieutenant in the old Imperial Japanese Navy. He asked me to help him find a carry-on bag that some hooligans have stolen from him.”

“What happened then.” Shunya asked sarcastically. “Did you think the missing bag had a nuclear bomb or something?”

“Negative. I thought it was a lethal toxic agent. It was not the only time that….”

“S-O-U-S-U-K-E!”

Kaname looked very agitated. The last thing she wanted to have him tell was the clothes-eating bacteria story.

“I do not want to know any more details about the Full Monty Virus!” Shunya clenched his fists. Obviously, one or more school officials had passed along details about one of the most frightful moments in Jindai High School history. “If we ever discuss that, Kaname, it will be after we reach New York.”

“Perhaps that is enough stories, Kaname.” Sousuke swallowed hard seeing the way her eyes narrowed.

“Oh… you think?!”

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tricycle type retractable landing gear swung out into position as the helicopter approached the hangar deck of the TDD-1.

“It will be alright, Ayame,“ Sousuke said, noticing that the young girl looked apprehensive.

“Kaname reached over and squeezed her sister’s hand. Shunya, meanwhile, was rapt as he watched their arrival at the submarine.

“There is no cause for concern. The NH90 type helicopter’s significant crashworthiness capability is based on MIL-STD-1290A. This is provided by the sum of sequential and progressive intervention of several items: the shock absorbing Landing Gear, the crushable structure bottom and the crashworthy crew seats together with the crushable fuel system, the retention of the high mass components and the controlled deformation structure maintaining the vital space.”

“Cr-Cr-Crash?” Ayame brought her hand to her mouth.

“Sousuke!” Kaname wished that she hadn’t sworn off the halisen. “He’s just being an otaku, Ayame. We won’t crash.”

Before Ayame had too much time to get worked up, the helicopter was safely down and the crew had begun post-flight checks. Everyone but Sousuke was glad to finally get their feet on the hangar deck, giving them a chance to stretch out.

“HEY SAGARA!”

A number of crewmembers waved to Sousuke. He held a hand up in return.

“That your harem, Sagara?” One seaman called out, lugging replacement parts for one of the new F-35X STOVL aircraft that had been delivered to replace the venerable AV-8 derivative planes.

“Whoa! The one with the glasses is ugly!” A mechanic’s commentary had Shunya bristling. He managed a brie smile when the man’s superior began dressing him down in rather colorful language.

“Daddy, what did that word mean?” Ayame asked. “What is a…”

“AYAME!” Shunya barked.

As Sousuke began escorting his guests across the vast expanse of flooring, he noticed their fascination with everything around them. At one point, Sousuke stopped to look up at Arbalest. A maintenance crew was running a full spectrum systems check, necessitating that the A.I. be active.

Kaname saluted the ARX-7, smiling. It had been instrumental in her rescue form ‘Mr. Platinum’ and his budding terrorist organization. She was shocked when her playful gesture was returned.

“Hey! What the…” One of the electronics technicians was almost knocked off of his work platform when Arbalest saluted.

“Sergeant, it is good to see that you are unharmed.” The amplified voice of the A.I. came through the external speakers. “That is the young woman we rescued. Kaname Chidori. She is the girl who you…” The A.I. was interrupted.

“No aimless chatter!” Sousuke said. “You are undergoing diagnostics. Be quiet!”

“Training question, Sergeant.” The A.I. continued on, unabated. “Do not partners feel a sense of satisfaction at the return of their companions? Is my current response a means for concern? Might the technicians…”

“Al, no chatter. I must escort Miss Chidori, her sister, and her father to see the Captain.” Sousuke sighed. The garrulous A.I. Was even more talkative than usual. It didn’t actually miss him, did it? When shut down, it couldn’t have any sense of time or awareness, right?

“I see. A family. Bunny Morita did not program me with much data on families. Training question, Sergeant. How are the smaller ones created? Is there some form of…”

“Ahem!” Shunya said.

“Sergeant….” The A.I. was preparing to ask if ‘Ahem’ was some form of suitable greeting.

“BE QUIET!” Sousuke’s shout had Ayame jumping and the entire maintenance team laughing.

“That’s Arbalest,” Kaname explained to Ayame. “Like Sousuke, it’s too unique for everyone else’s good.” She smiled seeing the look on Sousuke’s face. “It’s the most important Arm Slave in the world. Sousuke’s the only one who can pilot it.”

“Really?” Ayame turned a look of hero worship on the young Sergeant. That look grew when Kaname told a brief summary of the time when Guaron had sea-jacked Da Danaan, and Sousuke and Arbalest faced off against Venom. Naturally, she mentioned her role as well.

“Without me, they’d all be at the bottom of the sea.” Kaname tossed her hair. Her father walked along with a tight posture.

“Hey, Ka-na-may!” That voice was all too familiar.

Long blonde hair swinging, Kurz Weber walked up. Not too far behind him, Melissa Mao hurried to catch up, hoping to keep her lanky teammate from causing an international incident.

“Sousuke. What took you so f-cking long?” Melissa smiled over at Kaname. She eyed Shunya with a cursory glance.

“It might have been Angel,” Kurz said. “It looks like she put on some weight.” That had Kaname scowling. “In all the right places, eh Sousuke?” That had Shunya clenching his fists. “Ahhh. And he brought along another beauty!” That had Ayame blushing.

“Stow it!” Melissa pushed Kurz hard into the foot of an M9.

“Babe! I was only being friendly!” Kurz claimed. He put on the same voice that he had used once upon a time, when he had tried to convince Kaname and Kyouko that he was a lost foreigner in Tokyo. “Welcome aboard, pretty ladies. Young Miss Chidori, will you be joining your beautiful sister when she sings again?”

“What?” Kaname was slow to catch the fact that Kurz was joking, making reference to the party for Da Danaan that she had happened on before. She smiled, remembering the crews reaction. That quickly turned to a frown when she recalled how she had gotten there in the first place. Sousuke had asked her to come to a island in the tropics with him. She had been so excited, amazed at his bold behavior. Little did she expect to do a HALO jump out of an aircraft, far above an empty seemingly empty stretch of ocean.

“This time, I bet that Sousuke wins the kiss from our beautiful little Captain!” Kurz winked at Sousuke. Ayame giggled. Kaname looked ready to kick someone or something. Preferably something on someone.

Sousuke frowned. Kurz was perhaps the closest friend he had. But, he wished that the ebullient marksman would reign it in now and then. His comment about the kiss had him thinking about the death of Gail McCarran, Urzu-1 before Clouzot was.

“Asshole!” Melissa cuffed Kurz on the back of the neck. “Though, Kaname… if you like… we can set up that soaking tub again. I have plenty of beer, and maybe Tessa will join us.” She smiled over at Ayame. “Your sister is welcome too.”

“Ahem!” Shunya did not like the mention of tube, beer, and Kaname. He liked the mention of Ayame even less.

“Is there some kind of trouble here?” That voice had Sousuke snapping to attention, beads of sweat popping out on his forehead. It was Mardukas. “I’m Cmdr. Richard Mardukas. You must be Shunya Chidori, High Commissioner on Environment Issues at the United Nations. It is a pleasure to meet you, Sir.” He shook hands with Kaname’s father. “Miss Ayame? I’m quite pleased to make your acquaintance.” He shocked everyone by smiling.

“Uhhh… Commander… as you can see, we have arrived safely.” Sousuke fought to maintain his composure. He didn’t notice the look of satisfaction on Shunya’s face. Mardukas did, smiling. “I was escorting them to see Captain Testarossa as ordered, Sir.”

“I take it that this fine gentleman is the man who instructed you in Shakespeare, young man?” Shunya asked.

“Affirmative!” Sousuke answered Kaname’s father as if he were answering Cmdr. Mardukas.

“Oh? He had opportunity to use what he was taught?” Mardukas raised one eyebrow.

“Yes,” Shunya drawled. “I don’t have enough strength left after that flight to go into any detail.” He thought a moment. “And thus I clothe my naked villainy with old odd ends, stol'n forth of holy writ; and seem a saint, when most I play the devil,” he said, quoting from ‘Richard III‘.

“I see. Things went that well. How wonderful for you.” Mardukas’ sarcasm was a tangible thing. “The devil hath power to assume a pleasing shape.” His use of ‘Hamlet’ helped him commiserate with Kaname’s father. To the outside world, Sgt. Sousuke Sagara looked like the average teenager. His intentions were good, and his heart was strong. But, except on the battlefield, the consequences of his actions moved him closer and closer to damnation.

“Exactly,” Shunya nodded.

“I think he’s great!” Ayame said in defense of Sousuke.

“You’re young yet,” Kurz quipped. That earned him another cuff from Melissa.

“I will escort our guests to the Captain,” Mardukas said. “That way I will have a chance to hear about your most recent conduct.”

“Uhhh…”

“You are expected in the meeting room, Sergeant” Mardukas pushed his glasses further up his nose. “There will be a direct feed to Merida base. The Intelligence Division will want to continue discussing those things that you and Miss Chidori overheard the terrorist mouthpiece say in Kisarazu. I take it you‘re sufficiently recovered for that now.”

“We’ll make sure Sousuke gets there safely, Sir.” Melissa gave the Commander a sloppy salute.

“I can’t wait to hear this one!” Kurz chuckled.

Things were off to a great start.