[FIC] First Impressions (part 7)

[dd]

The sound of blaring horns could be heard.

A white van ran along the shoulder of the highway at high speed, weaving around various static and moving objects before entering the road again.

Sousuke clenched his teeth, his usual stoicism wiped away by the day’s events. The driver’s skill was obvious, but he was even more reckless than Kurz.

Sergeant Marc Verwilghen turned out to be very garrulous, as well. The Belgian liked to talk, and seemed unconcerned that Sousuke wasn’t holding up his end of the conversation.

“It’s an hour between Narita airport and Kisarazu. We should be about a third of the way there by now, if I have my bearings right. I’m still learning the geography.”

Sousuke grunted in return, grabbing hold of the door handle when the van abruptly swerved around a large bus.

“Kisarazu is a peaceful and relaxing city known for its beautiful, natural environment. The port has a long history as a distribution and trading center. Nippon Steel, its affiliates and subcontractors, as well as an industrial park for lumber mills have located in the Kisarazu South and Kimitsu districts. Tokyo Electric Power has built a thermal power plant in the Futtsu district, and Kisarazu South Wharf, a public facility, is used primarily for shipping sand produced in the area.”

The lanky soldier continued on with his discourse, a small earphone in one ear. He was relaying what he was being sent by Intelligence personnel at Merida Island.

“According to the GPS gang, Miss Chidori’s signal has been stationary for a while. The folks who get blurry eyes staring at satellite photos all day think that the locator is in a warehouse district. We have no people on the ground there, and can’t say if the tracking device is still with the girl.”

Sousuke tried to eat a protein bar, his appetite returning some. Just as he was about to take a bite, the van swerved again. His meal broke in half after his hand slammed against the passenger side window.

“Hey! Sorry about that!” Sgt. Verwilghen told Sousuke that he had a number of MREs stashed in the glove compartment. He could have as many as he liked.

‘I’d rather have Kaname’s cooking’, the young soldier thought. That only had him feeling morose. He might never have that privilege again.

“It is strange that the tracking device is still operational, but the microphone is not.” Sousuke decided that he didn’t need to eat after all. “That concerns me, given the intimate relationship of both parts of the item.”

“Really? You think that someone may have deliberately mucked around with it? That’s reason to worry, isn’t it!” The middle-aged man yanked the wheel to one side, zooming past a startled road crew. “We could be headed towards the one place, while the girl and her abductors are on their way out of the country.”

“Yes,” Sousuke said, checking to make certain that he bandages weren’t becoming too bloody too fast. “But, it could also indicate a trap. Has anyone in Intelligence commented on that issue yet?”

“No. I’ll ask.” The other Sergeant asked to be connected to someone appropriate.

“Be certain to ask them to give sufficient thought to a crucial point. It may well be that Kaname Chidori is bait, not the target of the kidnapping. What might Amalgam be after, if it is that group we face? Who else might have access to their technology?”

After passing along Sousuke’s concerns, Sgt. Verwilghen tossed the phone to his passenger. Lt. Kalinin had been routed to the connection. The conversation was terse, but cordial. The message was simple: Arbalest was scheduled for launch, timing to coincide with an arrival outside of the wharf area about the same time the van should arrive on the scene.

“They are sending in my partner,” Sousuke reported. “A number of small covert teams will meet us in the port, at the following address.” He stated the coordinates. “The traffic up ahead has slowed to a stop.” Those last words were said with a bit of an edge. The van was not slowing down.

“You mean that big metal monster? They must expect something big, or someone is worried about more of those damn robots.” The driver spat out of the open window, while steering onto the shoulder again. “And I had thought that duty in Tokyo would be slow and boring.” A number of orange cones bounced out onto the highway.

Sousuke wondered if the ride in the van might prove more dangerous than the situation they were headed into. If Kaname were there with him, she would no doubt be giving Marc an earful.

When the drive took on a more sedate and consistent pace, Sousuke found himself lost in thought. At one point, his fellow soldier had mentioned the Legend of Kimisarazu, one possible source for the city’s name. It was not a story that he needed to ponder while he sat worrying about his girlfriend.

Prince Brave of Yamato was once trying to cross Tokyo Bay to Kazusa when his boat was suddenly attacked by strong waves, almost sinking it. At that moment, Princess Oto Tachibana jumped into the water in an attempt to pacify the sea god and save the Prince's life. It worked and the fierce waves subsided immediately. After landing, the Prince went to Mount Oda to look over the sea and reminisce about his lost love. The fact that he stayed there for many days gave rise to the place name Kimisarazu , meaning "prince-didn't leave" in Japanese.

Lost love. Great. For so many years he was unconcerned with that feeling. Now, he didn’t know what he would do without it. He was faced with a no win situation, in a way. If he rescued Kaname, her father would insist that she accompany him back to America. And, if he didn’t rescue her….

They were certainly a star-crossed pair, weren’t they? He had lost track of how many times that Kaname had complained about her teenage years being a mess, even before they had admitted their feelings for one another. But, they both knew that each would be in danger, whether they were together or apart.

Watching as they drove exceedingly close to a school bus, Sousuke thought about the life he had been living in Japan. At first, he had been going to Jindai High School only because it was part of a mission. But, after the operation in Hong Kong, he had been going to the school because he chose to. He wondered if his education was now finished, should he decide to remain in Mithril.

“So, Sagara, if you walk away from this one, do you know what you’ll be doing?” The Belgian looked over at his fellow soldier, despite driving between two large trucks. It was almost as if he had read Sousuke’s mind. “It really sucks how the girl has to leave the country!”

“I’m not certain,” Sousuke answered gloomily. “I have not received any official notification. I suspect that I will be reassigned to the SRT full time. I doubt that Mithril would see high school courses as a necessity in Lambda Driver research.”

“Yeh. That’s sounds tough. You SRT guys have an exciting life. But to do that, and be a lab rat….” Marc scowled. He wouldn’t want to trade places with his younger companion. “Man! If your English was better, you could join the boys in the Atlantic Division.” He didn’t need to complete his train of thought.

“Even if I were assigned to Miss Chidori again, her father would oppose our relationship. If I was placed in a situation where I could see her… and protect her… but could not be with her….” Sousuke banged his hand against the window. That was a situation too painful to imagine.

“Right.” Sgt. Verwilghen reached into his uniform pocket and took out a pack of gun. He offered it to Sousuke, who declined. Placing a stick in his mouth, he began chewing as he spoke. “Do you think you could use this situation to your advantage? I mean, now dear old Daddy will have a first hand experience of what ‘Angel’ has to face.”

“I must admit, that thought has crossed my mind. But, it does me no good to get my hopes up. As it is, I have more than enough motivation to rescue her.” Sousuke sighed. His mind being contrary, he pictured Kaname in America without him, smiling and laughing.

What if Mithril did find someone to assign her in New York? If they could arrange for another male agent her age….

No. He couldn’t see Kaname switching her affections, at least not right away. Like him, she was a fighter. If it was even remotely possible for the two of them to be together, she would find a way. He himself would be presented with alternate possibilities, once he was close to Tessa again. But, he doubted he would feel any temptation.

“If we do not rescue her, everything else is moot. And, as usual, there is no guarantee that I will walk away from this myself. It is the nature of the beast.”

“I hear you…” Marc nodded. Mithril paid much better than any other job he was qualified for. But, all that money came with a cost. That cost was the phenomenal risk that people faced throughout the various levels of the organization.

Amalgam had done tremendous damage, but the organization was rebounding nicely. Just the same, the infrastructure was terribly vulnerable. They couldn’t survive another major onslaught by a determined and well-supplied foe.

The sun gradually set, and darkness became their traveling companion. Sousuke stared at lit windows, wondering what the ‘normal’ people were doing. While others were sitting down for a late dinner, bathing young children, or helping older youths with their homework, he was in a van heading towards who knows what.

What did it say about him that he was used to such things? Even more, what did it mean, seeing that he often felt more comfortable in combat, despite the changes that Kaname had helped make in him? Would he ever be able to step beyond that? If he couldn’t, was it even fair to think about a life with Kaname?

As they approached the outskirts of the port city, a call came in.

“It’s for you, Sagara.” Sgt. Verwilghen passed him the handset.

“Who is it?” Sousuke ran his hand through his hair, then stretched, trying to work out a kink in his back.

“He…… it didn’t live its name. But… well… I think you’ll know who it is.” The tattooed Belgian shook his head, a look of disbelief on his face.

“Urzu 7.” Sousuke wondered what could have caused the driver to act like that.

“I am arriving on station. It looks like I have won the race.” Mithril communications personnel had patched Arbalest through.

“Pretend human talk again? Didn’t we agree that you would work on that?” Sousuke was oblivious to Marc’s reaction.

“You agreed, Sergeant. I was silent on the matter. Doesn’t a challenge help bind people through a common goal?”

“You are not people. You may have a deep voice like a man, but you are not a man. We have a task at hand, and your attention should be focused on that. Find a clear place to land, but do so undetected. It may be dark, but a large walking heap of metal is hard to miss.” Sousuke clenched his hands into fists. He still found it difficult to interact with his ‘partner’, in battle and out of it.

“Understood. I will maintain ECS at all times, until commanded otherwise. Training question. Do you still consider me to be an annoying A.S.”

“Guess.” That was often Sousuke’s challenge to the A.I., whenever it became inquisitive regarding human nature. No. Whenever it became too inquisitive about him.

“Completed. Would you wish to hear my suppositions?”

“No. I’m not interested. There is something we must discuss. You will consider it a direct order. The setting may be a trap. You may be in danger of destruction. Avoid that if possible, if the primary objective is met or unreachable.” Sousuke frowned. It was odd talking to a machine as if it were human. “You may also be at risk of capture. That is not allowed, regardless of circumstances. Self-destruct before allowing yourself to be disabled.”

“Must I really do that? If I cease to exist, there are no others like me. Also, I am all that remains of Bunny Morita’s work. If I destroy myself, what will be left of him?”

“You will do as ordered. If necessary, I too will give my life to succeed in this operation. People die. Whether it is untimely, by their own hand, or by other means, all humans cease to exist. There will be no further discussion of the matter.” Sousuke spoke sternly.

“Roger. But I comply reluctantly.”

“When we arrive in the warehouse area, I shall contact you, and you will be given further orders. Until that time, be quiet.” Sousuke looked over at his fellow Sergeant, who quickly hid a smirk.

“Roger.”

“I said be quiet!” Sousuke snapped, growing irritated. Despite the strides he had made in accepting the ARX-7 as his mechanical half, he still harbored some resentment and doubt based on difficult times he had with the machine earlier on.

The Arbalest’s A.I. was silent after that, and the connection was placed on Stand-By.

“That certainly was something different,” Sgt. Verwilghen said, chuckling. “They told me that the machine had been designed to become close to its pilot, able to understand and synchronize with the passenger’s mental and emotional make-up. As I understand it, the thing was not made to copy or accommodate its controller, but rather to ‘match up’ with him. That allows you and it to function at levels far beyond anything another man and machine could hope to match. Wild.”

“It is not easy to deal with. I still have many inhibitions to overcome. But we make a good team, my partner and I.” Sousuke checked his watch. “Arbalest was instrumental in destroying eleven Aratsols when I last faced that kind of robot. If we are fortunate, it will prove decisive today.”

“Amen,” Marc said. Hearing a signal that alerted him to an incoming call, he patched the communication threw. The first of the other small units had made it on scene. They were beginning covert surveillance of the buildings present at the target GPS coordinates.

Sousuke reached behind him and pulled a weighty satchel to him. As they drove along, he transferred new supplies to his own bag. He made it a point to check each and every weapon he had at his disposal. After that, he made certain that his night vision gear and other sundries were in working order.

“Whoa! Fireworks.” Marc looked up at the night sky, watching huge blossoms of color, impossibly bright one moment, and then fading away to nothingness, leaving hints of a whispy white cloud. “That’s right. The Intelligence mouthpiece mentioned that the Minato Festival would be underway tonight. I doubt we will get a chance to see any of the Yassai-Mossai Dances. Or Miss Minato…”

Placing a new clip in the XM109, Sousuke wondered just what kind of fireworks they might see that night. It was exciting, heading into the unknown. Exciting, but nerve-wracking.

Kaname was in danger. They were probably heading into a trap. Their numbers were considerably smaller than the situation would ideally call for.

Business as usual.

[HELLFIRE]

...another male guardian her age. EVIL!! But not a bad idea in the long run.
Cheers dd!













Regards

[Wild Goose]

Woot! Here comes Sousuke the one-man army!

Keep it coming, keep it coming.