Episode XIII: Attack
When business was slow, the boss liked to keep his employees either at home or in the garage, where they would all usually concentrate on cleaning the giant place up. Ever since Jack got the contract to work in the “supposedly” abandoned building, the garage had slowly began to decline into a sty of filth. It was more or less dusty when he first set up shop, but when business began picking up and employees poured in slowly, it just got worse and worse. People had been assigned to come into it and clean a few areas here or there, but nobody had ever put a dent in the place, not even during the time Silvara washed the ceiling. It was that bad.
Now that business was slow and there was no demand for anybody to fix, cook, clean, or pay anything else, the garage loomed before them as the ultimate task. The boss had everybody who was under his payroll pick up a handful of cleaning tools and march inside, with himself leading the pack. Unlike a few bosses here and there, Lazarus was not afraid to get his hands dirty or to mingle in with his employers. He loved the camaraderie, in fact, as it gave him the opportunity to mix in with people he normally wouldn’t.
Since Silvara was the only one who could reach it, she was given the very hard task of cleaning the entire ceiling and the upper portions of the wall all by herself. The boss and Max mopped the floors, Eien and Miichi scrubbed the walls, and Kit made minor repairs to the place (such as changing light bulbs or vacuuming carpets and upholstery). The garage was big enough to hold three fighter jets, so it would probably take the team at least an entire day to work. Luckily, Eien and Miichi ordered out so they wouldn’t have to cook.
It was an arduous task, and perhaps a mundane and thankless one, but hard manual labor certainly brought out the best in everyone. Even Kit and Max, who normally kept to themselves, opened up a bit more as they worked hard to make the dreadful garage seem livable again, and of course the Captain was having a field day.
“Did I ever tell any of you people about the time I was a fighter pilot?” he said.
“No, Cap! We never knew!” exclaimed Eien. “So is that why people call you Captain, because you once held that rank?”
“It’s one of the reasons,” he replied with a nod. “Anyway, I did a lot of running and gunning in those days. Ahh, but you all don’t wanna hear all my crazy war stories! Maybe you’d be more interested in what I did after my service was over.”
“What’s that, boss?” Jack sighed, crossed his arms, and smiled nostalgically as he recalled the years gone by.
“Well, I decided that I had had enough excitement for one lifetime, so I wanted to start my own business. I guess you can tell where I’m going after this.”
“You opened this shop?”
“Yeah… If you want to get dramatic, just say that… this is my way of fixing whatever I wasted back in those days. Jeez, though, I’m starting to sound older than I really am.”
“Aww, I bet you’re not that old, boss!” squealed Eien playfully. “You don’t look much more than twenty-five or so. How old are you, anyway?”
“That’s not something I should reveal to you, Kinu,” he replied flatly. “Would you like it if a man asked you how old you were?”
“I wouldn’t mind,” she answered. He let out a hum.
“Hmm… then it must be restricted to human women…”
“What’s that, Cap?”
“……Just muttering to myself, Eien,” he told her. “We should get back to work. Hey, once you scrub and dry those walls, we’ll need somebody to paint them. The old coat’s chipping. Anybody know how to use a brush?”
“I do!” piped up Miichi. Jack smiled and gave her a thumbs-up.
“Great, the job’s yours. We probably have one somewhere around here, in all this clutter… Hey, Max, would you mind letting us borrow your mecha to clean the place up of the really big debris?”
“I don’t see why not,” he shrugged. He continued mopping, probably hoping he wouldn’t get noticed after that, so Jack just assumed that he had his permission.
“Well, you know how to work that thing better than I do. Once we’re done mopping the floors, you can get in and move all those boxes and stuff around. I’d like this place organized for once--HEY, speaking of which…! Kit!!”
“Y-yes! Uh, sir!” she blurted. Jack craned his head and shouted orders to her from across the room.
“You think you could organize a few of the files and cabinets we got in here? They don’t look very neat, and I wouldn’t want you or Miichi or Max spending three extra minutes a day searching through them… okay?”
“Mm-hmm, got it.” The cute mechanic resumed cleaning up the carpets and rugs, keeping in mind what her next job was. Jack took in a deep breath and continued mopping the floors, sometimes letting out an angry word as a few stubborn stains of oil or grease stuck around. He once boasted that he ran a clean joint; now was the time to exercise his words.
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“Are you sure this is the place, Asuka?”
“Yeah…”
“But are you certain?”
“The police have been tailing him ever since he left. Remember, all mechas have a tracer built in them just in case something like this happens, but it seems as if our fugitive didn’t know that. It almost makes it too easy for us to follow him.”
“Ah, so that’s how it’s done!” A pretty young dark-skinned woman poked her head into the room, having overheard everything else that went on inside. She greeted the four others in the room with a smile, and apologized for eavesdropping. Asuka Honmisei didn’t seem to mind at all.
“Yeah… but you two better get this straight. Once we run in there, we’re bound to face opposition. You should stay in here for your own safety--you too, Brinna.”
“But Asukaaaaa~”
“Sorry, but I don’t wanna take that chance,” she replied casually. “Call me soft if you want, but I guess I’ve grown a little too fond of you since we first met. Wouldn’t want a pretty dancer like you getting hurt now, would we?” Brinna Ptolemie smiled warmly and shook her head.
“No, we most certainly would not. But… what about your new creed? This may be for a good cause, but still…” Asuka sighed and shook her head, the flaming locks of hair waving in the air.
“I hope it doesn’t come to us murdering anybody, least of all this Rockwell guy, but accidents can happen. That’s why I don’t want you to come, none of you. It’ll just be Storm and I, although it shouldn’t even take that much to bring him in alive.” Brinna and the two younger ladies ferrying them around all glanced over at the grinning Bloodstorm, who seemed ready to burst out of his cybernetic skin with sick glee.
“Heh… don’t worry, I’ll be reeeeeeeeeeal gentle!!”
“I don’t like your definition of being gentle,” muttered Asuka. This only caused Bloodstorm to cackle out loud, sending shivers down the spines of Lantariz and Shellby. The two young explorers had led the bounty hunters Asuka and Bloodstorm, and their exotic traveling companion Brinna, all the way to Lazarus Mechanics in response to a bounty posted by a mysterious benefactor, who was then known only to the half-elf Asuka. Had Lantariz Tornheart known of the benefactor’s identity, she would not have assisted the hunters in their conquest.
“Well,” sighed Asuka as things seemed to calm down, “I guess there’s no delaying this. Let’s get in and get out with a minimal usage of violence. You got that, Storm?”
“You’re no fun,” he snarled playfully, “but I will comply with my orders! HEHHHH, and I was lookin’ forward to trashing something!”
“Easy there, big fella!” exclaimed Shellby, holding her palms out. “You’ll get your chances later! Just… do your business and we’ll be cheering for you!” Asuka and Bloodstorm nodded their heads, and stepped out of the Luxembourg and towards the unsuspecting Lazarus Mechanics, where their prey was ready to be plucked…
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Any outside observer watching the Lazarus Mechanics employees working on the garage would’ve said that it more resembled the insides of a clock rather than a half-dozen people working. Everybody moved and cooperated in such a fluid motion that it seemed mechanical. Then again, Jack Lazarus was a born leader, and enjoyed directing even the most menial of tasks. A buzz coming from the front door stopped the “clock”, however, as the Captain laid his mop against the wall so he could answer the call. Excusing himself, Jack carefully walked over a wet garage floor and jogged the rest of the way to the door, where he opened it to find a short redheaded half-elf and a dark-haired man who grinned way too much for his own good.
“Uh, howdy folks,” he greeted. “What can I do ya for?”
“Is there a Max Rockwell residing in this area?” asked the elf.
“Yeah… why? Who’s asking?”
“You’re holding a wanted man in your establishment, Mr. Lazarus,” she continued, her voice as flat and emotionless as the tile below them. “I suggest that if you want a clean record with the authorities, you’ll hand him over to us. We’re not interested in destruction, unless you start it first.”
“I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about,” he insisted. “I take a thorough background check with all my employees, except for one--and she was an original resident before I moved my business in here. What kinda crime has Mr. Rockwell committed, anyway?”
“All we know is that he stole some very valuable information from somewhere he shouldn’t have, and our benefactor wants him to return it. Now are you going to let us pass, Mr. Lazarus?” Jack shook his head, more puzzled than before.
“I had no knowledge of this. The only thing Mr. Rockwell brought with him was this mecha, and--”
“Then everything is true!” she snapped suddenly. “We’ve been searching for a man who brought a stolen mecha to this business! The police put a lock on the tracer they built inside, and it led them all the way to this building! There’s no way you can hide anymore, so just give up and let us pass!”
“Stolen or not, it’s not your concern!” he stated firmly, keeping his ground. “Max Rockwell is now my employee, and therefore his criminal business is my business. It’s my duty to take him in if I deem it necessary, and I’m not going to hand somebody I know over to some bounty hunter who makes all these demands!!”
“You are violating a lot of laws, you know,” she growled. “If I were you, I’d step aside right now. It’s an obstruction of justice to keep us standing here any longer.” Jack Lazarus growled, baring all his teeth as he stared down the half-elf and her cyborg companion. He knew that what they were saying was true, but he also knew that he had the right to take things into his own hands. He had not been lying when he said that he had no knowledge of the theft (he just assumed the mecha was Max’s to begin with), and since he knew, he had not called in any authorities--thus, technically, the two bounty hunters were just trespassing.
But still, I can’t break that law… Shoot! What am I going to do…?
“Well,” he muttered, smiling as hard as he could in order to conceal the worrying thoughts flowing through his mind, “I guess I better go get him, then!” He immediately turned around and sprinted towards the garage, but the tall man snarled with glee as he whipped out a long chain, tying the boss’ legs together and tripping him up. The Captain landed on the ground with a thump, staring at the maniacal creature who tripped him.
“Huh? Red eyes…? Oh, now I get it; you’re a cyborg, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, so what? You wanna medal?”
“I’d much rather prefer a handsaw.” Bloodstorm cackled, though not from Jack’s dry humor, and took a single leap forward, slamming into the ground just hairs away from the boss. With a broad smile, he produced a nasty blade from his arm, and held it over the Captain’s head like a pendulum. Meanwhile, the half-elf quietly strolled past the two struggling males, keeping her cool deadly as she walked towards the garage.
“Mr. Rockwell is this way, then…” Jack Lazarus growled, but with Bloodstorm pinning him down, there was little he could do. Just then, he earned the right to sigh out in relief as Silvara and Miichi emerged from the garage, looking for paint and brushes.
“Sir, we couldn’t find the--AAH!! What’s going on?!”
“Damn, boss, what kinda show are you running here?” spat Silvara. She stood in an offensive stance, bringing out a close-quarters knife and slashing it through the air. Miichi panicked briefly, but kept her head as she ran back to alert the others. Silvara didn’t see the wisdom in the move, though, and screamed at the new girl as she turned tail and ran. Asuka watched the whole thing with an amused smile, especially the feeble brandishing of the tiny knife.
“Are you thinking of hurting me with that?” she pointed dully. Silvara snarled and sliced at the air a few more times.
“If I have to, yeah! I’m gonna defend my home from any invaders! So just watch out, both of you!” Asuka chuckled quietly to herself, and with a single slow motion, she drew out a very long sword from its sheath, creating a delicious metallic song as it was freed. She held the entire blade out in front of her, easily dwarfing Silvara’s puny knife as well as the girl’s spirit. The poor curly-haired girl stared at the big blade in shock, her blue eyes widening and her knife slipping to the floor. Asuka smiled, and with a single motion, ran towards the winged girl and smashed her fist in her stomach, knocking her out flat.
“This is a waste of my time,” whispered the half-elf softly. Just then, Miichi returned with an astonished Eien, a frightened Kit, and a questioning Max. Not needing the knowledge of discernment to know whom she sought, Asuka smiled wickedly and pointed her finger at the tall, pale man. He frowned right back at her, a bitter stare that would have sent any normal person cowering. A sudden crackle of electrical energy surged through the air, gathering inside Eien’s cupped palms as she prepared to attack in her own fashion.
“You leave the boss alone, you sick freak!” Bloodstorm grinned back at her even as the energy ball came running his way, and leaped away at the very last second, sending it sailing harmlessly into the wall. A big hole was blasted in, and the poor Captain groaned as another expense piled up.
“Just terrific… Hey, Miichi, you mind cutting me loose?” The eager-to-please Miichi Zuroi scrambled over to her boss and struggled to remove the chains around his legs, evening the odds a little. She also bent down to pick up Silvara, who was still out cold from the powerful punch.
“Take her somewhere safe… and make sure that mecha doesn’t get touched by anyone! It’s probably not worth all this trouble, but you never know!”
“Yes, sir!” Miichi obeyed and vanished into the garage to keep watch over the mecha, leaving the boss with just Eien, Kit, and Max to defend the shop. Asuka kept her smile and her sword out, slowly letting it travel through the air as she pointed it at everyone.
“Why are you even bothering? Just surrender and we’ll leave. Like you said, Mr. Lazarus, this isn’t worth your time.”
“I’ll find that out for myself, thanks,” he snorted. “Now get out of my store!! Or do you want us to throw you out ourselves?” Asuka couldn’t help but burst out in a sick laughter after hearing such a useless and empty threat. She rolled her head back and really let it out, shaking her fiery mane as her belly belched out the guffaw. Bloodstorm was, of course, cackling along with her, but the occasion didn’t matter to him at all.
“…Do you think this is some kind of joke?” snorted their prey bitterly. “Bah! You have no idea what you have gotten yourself into! You foolish bounty hunters…” Asuka’s laughter quickly died, and in its place was a bitter glare, followed closely by a very long and very deadly blade, wielded by the hands of a genius of war.
“Don’t insult me! I’d send you to your grave for that if I didn’t need you alive! Nobody ever said that you had to have all your body parts still attached, you know!!”
“Ho YEAH, baby!!!” cackled Bloodstorm gleefully, flailing his arms in the air. “Now that’s what I’m talking about! Hey, Asuka, lemme rip him apart for you! I’m so bored!” The half-elf grunted and nodded her head.
“Take your best shot.”
“Ooh, goody!!!” Bloodstorm grinned fiercely and rubbed his hands together, nearly ecstatic over the prospect of something so sick. Max backed down a step, and Eien stood in front of Kit as protectively as she could (even though she was shivering in fear), but it was the blonde mechanic who stood to face the giant machine.
“Kitten! What the heck are you doing?? You can’t fight that thing! It’s a killer cyborg!!”
“I… I know what it is, Eien,” replied the mousy girl. “I know… exactly… what it is…” Eien was confused for only a second before she caught on, and forced herself to cover her mouth so her insane laughter wouldn’t give anything away. Bemused, Bloodstorm could only watch and smile as Kit slowly walked towards him and suddenly jammed her finger right in his chest, where his heart would be if he were a human.
To everyone’s shock, Bloodstorm suddenly froze up stiff and fell to the floor, remaining utterly motionless.
“What the hell did you just do?!!!” screamed Asuka. “You… you killed him with your FINGER!! Who the damned-hell are you?!!?” Captain Jack Lazarus grinned boldly and placed his hand on Kit’s shoulder, like a proud father would do to his daughter.
“She’s our resident genius mechanic, that she is! Her name is Kitty Hiro, one of the most brilliant masters of machinery I’ve ever had the honor of knowing! A cyborg like your friend here is useless against somebody with her talents!!”
“But… how did she--”
“All she really needed to do was activate the system shut-down to your comrade down there,” continued the boss. “Since she knew so much about machines, she would know the precise area to strike, an area too small for anybody else to notice. Now, I believe that the odds are in our favor!” Lazarus smiled proudly, with Kit blushing furiously and trying to keep her humility in check.
“Aw, shucks… it was nothing, sir. I just used my gifts for a good cause, like you always said. It was really nothing!”
“Then that’s some nothing!” squealed Eien as she gave Kit an enthusiastic hug. The blonde mechanic returned it happily, leaving Asuka to gape in astonishment. Before she could regain her poise, a gigantic mechanical suit lumbered through the garage door and aimed a Gattling gun straight at the half-elf. A thin curly-haired girl with shades was in the cockpit, alongside a weary-looking but determined girl with wings.
“If you want my mecha that badly, you can have it,” pointed Max wryly, a noticeable trace of humor in his voice. The guns locked and loaded, aimed right at Asuka’s body, and everyone else crowded around the half-elf with weapons drawn, prepared to defend their business and co-worker. Asuka snarled as the bitter taste of defeat finally hugged her tongue, but seeing as how it would be wiser not to engage in a confrontation, she sheathed her sword and put her hands up in surrender.
“Okay… if it’s that important to you, then I’m leaving. But this won’t be the last time you see me, I’ll tell you that much. You’ll see me again, and next time, I’ll know what your strategy will be. I will not be so foolish then.”
“We’ll be ready, anytime!” smiled Lazarus proudly. “Now get your butt and your pal outta here, unless you want us to help you!!”
“Ugh, no thanks,” she hissed. Asuka activated her cell phone and called for help with dragging the deactivated Bloodstorm back to the ship, and in a moment’s time, three other women stepped into the office, examining the scene of battle and sheepishly waving at the opposite crew. They silently carried the machine out, with Asuka giving everyone one last bitter look before leaving. Just to make sure they distanced themselves from the shop, Miichi and Silvara took the mecha out the other side, through the main garage door, and watched as the ship flew far away, hopefully not to return for some time.
Once Miichi and Silvara came back into the room, they both let out a big smile and hugged everybody in sight. Eien literally screamed as she leaped up and down with Kit in her arms, and the winged woman slapped her boss and fellow tenant on the back. Miichi gave him a friendly hug, and patted the shoulder of Max Rockwell, who could not hide his smile no matter how hard he tried.
“Well, congratulations are in order, I guess,” shrugged Lazarus. “But first, we’d better clean up this mess. Eien, since you made that hole, you’re responsible for patching it up.”
“Awwwwww, do I have to?”
“You gotta learn to clean your own messes,” he replied. “Miichi, Silvara, you clean up the debris made by the mecha. Kit, for your bravery and quick thinking, I’m gonna give you the day off with a 1% increase in pay--no, let’s make that five!”
“Th-thank you, sir!” she grinned.
“And as for you,” he said, pointing at Max, “you and I had better find a room where we can talk alone. I’ve got a lot of questions for you, buddy.” The gray-haired man sighed wearily, although there really was no way of avoiding his new fate.
“I suppose I couldn’t have kept it a secret for long… All right, let’s go.” He and the boss went up into the room, leaving everybody else to go their own way. Eien pouted miserably, but Kit’s smile could brighten up even the darkest days.
“Don’t worry, I’ll help you fix the wall.”
“REALLY? Wow, you’re a lifesaver, Kit! Sweet, cute, smart, helpful, brave… Gosh, I think I’m in love!” Kit laughed out loud as she took Eien by the arm and walked over to the destroyed wall.
“Oh, be quiet!!”
Meanwhile…
Brinna Ptolemie looked through the small glass window with a crease of worry on her face, desperately wanting to be on the other side, where Asuka was brooding by herself. Lantariz, her father, and Shellby were busy repairing Bloodstorm, leaving the gorgeous dancer by herself. She sighed, creating a ghost on the window, and knocked on it one more time.
“I told you I don’t want to be disturbed.”
“Not even by me, honey?” Asuka sighed after giving Brinna some silence.
“Brinna… I won’t deny that I like you. It’s not you, it’s… what happened. I just need some time alone for awhile. You can come in later, and we’ll have a talk--all right?” A pause.
“…Sure thing, sweetie. I’ll be right here if you need me.” The beautiful dancer slowly backed away from the window, and slid down until she was sitting on the floor, and began to wait like a loyal puppy. From inside the other room, she could just barely hear her bodyguard whisper out a single word.
“…Thanks.”
Closing comments: Max may or may not play a major role in this story, but his secrets sure will! What kind of mystery does the blonde woman on the HUD screen know about? Why is Galaga Starik searching for it so obsessively? Will things ever settle down at Lazarus Mechanics? Will Ichi ever find Tobi? Will the Informer ever get some Ice Djinn booty? Will Keiko start killing things indiscriminately? Will Asuka and Brinna ever have sex? Or Shellby and Lantariz? Or Galaga and Scarlet? Who is Scarlet, anyway? Why am I asking you all these questions? Who are you, anyway? Preview of next chapter: Believe it or not, but our beloved Ichi knows Captain Lazarus quite well, and in fact wants to set up a meeting with him, concerning the Demon’s Twenty among other things…
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