Now part four...
#The secret of the Tower#
At the four's nod, Nemo opened the door, and as soon they were inside, a
wave of total
chaos engulfed them. The Command Center was a great room like those Nasa used
to
coordinate space missions, and looked like a crossbreed between Star Wars'
cantina and the
M.I.B.'s headquarters with all the people bustling around, and all the noise
they were making.
Every desk had its computer with one operator, and when there were two they
were arguing
over a cup of coffee, and when three they usually there was a wrestling
match. Not to count
all the deliverymen running around with virtually anything from normal
print-outs to bricks,
medieval siege rams or carts with other shouting folks on them. Over the
scene a perpetual
cloud of smoke and paper planes and an echo of *Spice Girls* songs from the
distance.
This was the rough description of the bedlam beneath them, on the railing
circling the upper
floor, but there on the *high places* things were not so much better. Sure
everything was a
little more quiet, and the floor was clean, but there was not a human being
on it.
Behind a computer, two seven-feet-tall moaning creatures that could be
described as
walking carpets were yelling at each other, while not very far away a man was
arguing with
the air itself; rather, here and there a blurr could be seen, like if
something was twisting the
light to stay invisible and kept a triple-beam red laser foresight on the
screen. At the farthest
end of the room, a huge reptilian creature, 6 feet at the shoulder and double
in lenght, with
amazing teeth and tusks, was sitting near a radiator talking with a hulking
black alien with two
sets of jaws, the esternal one armed with razor sharp teeth, the other shaped
like a trunk that
periodically sticked out of its mouth.
Another *thing* then came toward them, humanoid in shape, but seven feet
tall, complete
with curved horns and bat-like wings. On his shoulders were officer's
stripes.
"It's a pleasure to see you, brother" said the creature to Nemo, greeting
himlike an old
friend.
"Me too, brother" he replied with a smile. "How are things going in the
city?"
"Everything under control. You'll find my report on your desk."
"Fine." Nemo glimpsed what the other was thinking. "Yes" he said turning to
his guests
"newcomers."
"Nice to meet you all."
Umi and Hikaru mad a polite, if embarassed, bow; Ferio hugged Fuu more
protectively and
she let an "Interesting" escape from her.
"If I can, what do you find so interesting in me?" asked the creature.
"You" she said "you are like one of those...a gargoyle."
"A *what*?" cried Umi.
"There have been some sightings of strange flying creatures in Tokyo, or at
least this is
what the Tokyo Tabloid said."
"Fuu" Hikaru interjected "do you read that trash?" But she found the answer
by herself. "Oh,
I understand, your *broad interests*."
"Right Hikaru. Now, this beings have been called after the European statues
adorning
cathedrals, after some of them were spotted in New York."
"Perfect, young lady" the gargoyle congratulated. "Excuse me, but now I
have other matters
to attend."
"Yes you can go" said Nemo. Then to the surprised four: "What I told you?"
"Let me ask something" said Fuu as they were brought nearer the railing.
"Yes."
"What are all this...beings."
"Just what you said, beings."
"No, I mean, from where they come. If they are not from Earth, and not from
another
dimension, they can only be..."
"Nearly right, Fuu" interjected Nemo. "But the more of them are *really*
from Earth, believe
it or not."
Not very trusting, Fuu changed subject: "Don't we have something to
discuss?"
"Right" said Ferio.
"Heck!" he interjected, running to a desk.
The others grew beads. "What's the matter now?" Ferio wondered closing in,
seeing that
some kind of acid substance had eaten a big hole in it, scarring even the
floor.
"How many times I'll have to tell him?" Nemo continued his dramatic
monologue with arms
rising to the sky.
"What's the proplem?" Umi asked peeking from above Ferio's shoulder.
"That a clumsy guy with corrosive blood should *not* play with the cutter!
It's the third time
this month" was the hushed answer. "But" he resumed his business-like tone "I
don't have
explained anything yet. What is the Pillar?"
A fit of rage burst out Ferio's eyes. "Are you still toying with us?"
But Hikaru stopped him with a gentle wave of her hand. "Why do you want to
know?"
"To see if I can make you some examples" he said evasively.
"Well, the Pillar *was* the sovereing of Cefiro. Princess Emeraude was
everything for her
planet and for her people, as she kept peace and prosperity."
"How?"
"With her mere prayers" said Umi.
"Yes" underlined Ferio.
"And what happened to her?"
There was a quick glance exchange between the four, and at last Ferio took
a deep breath
and spoke: "The duty was too much for her, too much for everybody. Who could
live without
dreams, giving all his own hopes to others?"
Hikaru thought to see a nod coming from Nemo.
"Anyway" Ferio continued "she fell in love with the High Priest Zagato, and
Cefiro began to
crumble. Only with the help of the Magic Knights Cefiro was saved."
Nemo nodded. (<Again?> thought Hikaru.) "Then" he resumed "I have a good
comparison: I
am the *Pillar* of Earth."
"*The Pillar*!?" all asked at once with mixed expressions of surprise and
skepticism.
A sort of smile-grin crossed Nemo's face. "But wait before drawing
conclusions. I told the
*comparison was good*, not that I was a Pillar in the Cefironian way. First
of all, I have no
power to make the world good or bad just with my prayers; I have other
methods. Second, I
am not bound in my *own* wishes; third, my duty is far different."
"Can I ask what it is?" Umi tried.
"No."
"Sorry, sir..." a trembling voice came from somewhere around them.
"Yes" Nemo said turning to meet a nervous deliveryman.
"You...the clerks need your signature for..." his eyes switched to the
newcomers and he
handed over some sheets to Nemo.
"Damn!" he murmured. "How can they want more money? This project of
rebuilding the
Mugen Institute is bleeding us." He gave hastiy signed. "Tell them to use the
blue-rated
Swiss accounts."
"And for the other documents?" the deliveryman asked.
"Oh, yes. I know I'll regret this, but we need the Antarctic Nerv Research
Center. Here you
are" he finished returning the sheets.
After the nervous lad left them, Fuu asked: "If you are so powerful, why
nobody knows of
you?" understanding that pursuing the last point would have been fruitless.
"Because I prefer to remain in the shadows and move from there, its safer.
Besides, to keep
something hidden, the best way is to show it in daylight, so I let movies and
the like cover all
this, changing just what's needed to turn them into good movies.
<Now I begin to understand some things...> Fuu thought glancing at all
those creatures.
"And the previous Pillars?" asked then Ferio, untouched by Nemo's previous
sentence.
"This is another difficult point."
"What do you mean?" said Ferio.
"What is the most old being you know of?"
"I think it's Guru Clef" Ferio stated, supported by a general nod.
"How much?"
"Err.. something less than eight-hundred."
"It's enough?" Fuu asked with her sarcasm.
"Nope. I am something less than two thousands years old."
"And you go around with a sword cutting the heads of other like you?" Fuu
stinged.
"You watch too much TV" Nemo answered with a
if-I-had-a-sword-I-would-do-it-to-you grin.
"But, Nemo" Ferio said, returnig the conversation on more serious tones.
"Could you
explain me *what* you have done to bring me here?"
"Okay, I can." He took a deep breath. "You should have always guessed *we*
have built
Tokyo Tower"
"*We* who?" interjected Fuu.
Nemo waited a little before answering. "Everything you see here is part of
a bigger thing, so
big you could not understand it well. To say the truth, *we* have no definite
name; the best
term I've found in terran languages is in Japanese: *zaibatsu*. I think you
all get the
implications of this name."
"Yes, but why did you built it?" Umi asked.
"This project has been designed to test an experimental antenna useful as a
beacon for
travel or long range messages. After the failure of the prototype, you know
it as the Tour
Eiffel, we built the Tower of Tokyo, using it as a lab, and as a good source
of turistical
income. Alas, on its first trial, we got more than we thought, or than we
wanted.
"The exact reasons are still a mistery even for the science guys, but a
theory exists." He
catched two flying-by sheets and put them in front of his guests an inch or
apart from each
other. "Modern science represents universe as something very like one of
these two piece of
paper, with bodies deformating gravity in bubbles or something like that.
Well, we believe it
is the same for alternate realities, just that what make them curve is the
very presence of
living intelligent beings. It's something related to the Astral Plane and all
the relative crap, so
I'm not going to make this into a school lesson. Maybe it happened that the
bubble created
by Earth and Cefiro's were too near (always in the perspective of the Astral
Plane) and our
test holed the two. If where you, Ferio, have been snatched was a tall
building with some
magical activity then all has been explained."
"The Castle" he said dryly.
Nemo sighed. "This is not the worst part of it, though. The danger is that
we, and myself in
particular, cannot mess up with other dimesions; it's one of the few strict
rules we have."
"Imposed by who?" asked Fuu.
"Girl, your wit will kill me," (<I hope so> she thought). "But remember I
am not the biggest
gear in the machinery. Well, if we mess..."
An alarm bell echoed in all the room, silencing everyone with danger.
Someone cried from
below the railing: "Sir, we have something strange near Earth!"
"All on the main screen!" he shouted, turning virtually *all* the opposite
wall of the room into
a giant-sized screen with a 3D map of Earth and its planetary surroundings. A
small red dot
was blinking some hundreds kilometers from the surface; and it was getting
bigger.
"Sir" cried again the voice "the scanner says...class-3 dimension warp!"
"Standard security procedures on line!" Nemo shouted before turning to his
guests. "Come,
things are getting worse, we have to move."
With a swirl of his cloak he made his way through waves of parting
personnel, followed by
the Magic Knights and Ferio, up to an elevator door at the fartest reach of
the Command
Center.
"Where are we going?" asked Umi.
"We're moving nearer the fray, so I can coordinate the operations better."
"But they said the thing was appearing in space!" stated Hikaru.
"Evidently" Fuu interjected "he has got more than four aces in his sleeve."
"Right, sweety" Nemo smiled as the elevator's door opened. "I only hope
they are friends of
yours."
The door closed and they went down.
"Why?"
"Because, if they are, we'll settle down things quickly and peacefully."
Nemo answered.
The elevator stopped moving, and opened on what could be called a parking
lot with
dozens of vehicles, from bicicles to fire engines, arranged in rows. The rest
of the place was
only bare concrete, with square pillars at regular intervals, save that it
was *huge*, vanishing
in the distance in a soft floodlight.
Near the elevator was a tiny box office, with a little old man inside.
"Good day to you sir!"
he said in a cheerful tone.
"'m happy too" said Nemo hastily. "We are in a hurry, what's ready?"
"Let me see" he took a file and read it very carefully. "There is the *Geo
Metro*, but it is not
equipped as you need...The *Primera*? No, it has not been checked. The
*Ferio*..."
Nemo nearly facefaulted when he heard the name. "No" he interjected. "Is
the *Lantis*
ready? I'll take it."
"Here are the keys!" Laughed the old man putting them in his hands. When
Nemo turned,
Hikaru had facefaulted. "What's the matter?" he asked.
"No nothing" she hurried to explain, shaking her head. <It's not really the
right time to think
of *him* but...maybe...> The hint of a smile crossed her face.
"All on board!" cried Nemo opening the car. "Someone will have to seat near
me. Umi or
Hikaru?" Asking Fuu or Ferio was out of question.
Without speaking, the redhead took the front seat.
"I'm puzzled how we'll get in space with this?" Umi whispered to Fuu.
"Please don't ask" said the blonde. "I have a bad feeling."
"Well" announced Nemo when they were all inside. "It's time to make this
baby fly." Saying
this, he sticked the key into the ignition and the car lit like a Christmas
tree: all the inside was
filled with strange devices and displays, more appropriate for an airplane
cockpit than for a
car.
Then the CD-player buzzed and started playing. At first from it came only
faint sounds like
blips or stuff like that, but than the engine roared with the five beats of
the drums, and Nemo
gave a sudden cry, with a more than female voice.
"Here come the Men in Black/ Here come the Men in Black"
Hikaru jolted and tried to crawl away, flattening as much as she could to
the door, cat's ears
popped out. <What the...?!> The CD was playing, but his expression was so
deep she could
bet *he* was singing, even if the voice seemed to come from a female throat.
She managed
to have a glance on the back seat, where three more amazed faces were
sweatdropping. Fuu
was hugging, squeezing, Ferio with a remote fear in her eyes; Umi's
expression was
evocative of what she was thinking: <Is *he* really a *he*?>
But *he* went on changing his voice to his more manly tone:
"Uh it's the M.I.B.'s"
And then again, female-chorusing:
"Here come the Men in Black
Here come the Men in Black (here they come)
They won't let you remember"
When he shifted again to a normal voice, Hikaru, and then the others,
manged to glimpse
the faint lyrics of the real singer drowned by Nemo, but the effect was still
breathtaking:
"Right on, right on
The good guys dress in black remember that
Just in case we ever face to face and make contact
The title held by me...M.I.B.
Means what you think you saw, you did not see
So don't blink
Think what was there but now's gone
Black suit with the black Ray Ban's on
Walk in shadow move in silence
Guard against extra-terrestrial violence
But though we ain't on no government list
We straight don't exist
No names and no fingerprints
Saw something strange
Watch your back
Cause you never quite know where the M.I.B.'s is at
Uh and..."
"Seems like the story of his life" Umi whispered to Hikaru.
"Did you saw the movie?" she asked back.
"No, but I hope there will be no giant roaches here!"
They were now driving towards the concrete depths of that apparently
deserted place, now
and then passing by side exits labeled with big red numbers. When Nemo
stopped singing for
a while, to take at least a gulp of air, he noticed Hikaru's interest for
those sideways, so he
punched something on his right and a blinking script appeared on a monitor
just above the
CD-player:
EXIT SELECTION: SHAFT 5
AWAITING FOR CLEARANCE
--
--
CLEARED
Nemo smiled at her, and she relaxed a bit. Chorus stroke back:
"Here come the Men in Black (here they come)
The galaxy defenders (right on, right on)
Here come the Men in Black (the men in black)
They won't let you remember (uh uh, uh uh)"
Hikaru was nearly trembling, with feline ears down, resisting the impulse
to open the door
and jump even if they were already running at good speed.
Umi was sure: Nemo was, or had been, or would like to be, a woman.
The sign SHAFT 5 passed over them as they took a smaller two-lane
corridor, and Nemo
went on with his show.
<*Shaft*?> Fuu thought. <What this could mean?>
"Now from the deepest of the darkest of night
On the horizon, bright light in the site tight
Cameras zoom, only your pen been doom
But then like BOOM black suits fill the room up
With the quickness talk with the witnesses
Hypnotize, neuralize
Vivid memories turn to fantasies
Ain't no M.I.B.'s
Can I please
Do what we say that's the way we kick it
Ya know what I mean
I say my noisy cricket get wicket on ya
We're your first, last and only line of defense
Against the worst scum of the universe"
"Hikaru?"
"Yes Umi."
"Do you remember what I said a minute ago? Well, I take it back."
"Why?"
"Would you *really* like someone like *him* to preotect the Earth?"
Nod.
He punched something again and grasped for a red lever appeared over his
head; when he
pulled it, the car shook and the passengers tried to get a hold on something.
"Fuu...I can't breath..."
"So don't fear us, cheer us"
The steering wheel became something more like a plane's control column.
"If you ever get near us, don't jeer us"
The wheels were sucked into the main bodywork, with rolling shatter hoods
covering the
holes left. The car was *floating* over the asphalt.
"We're the fearless"
The whole section over the rear wheel, up to the tail lights, stuck out of
some inches, the
previously hidden part revealed as an air intake similar to those of jets or
F1 cars. From
nearly halfway that place, a thin stick-like wing with a red knob at the end
extended for a full
couple of feet.
"M.I.B.'s freezin' the ball of flat
Whats that stand for?
Men In Black."
The car, now fully capable of flying, rocketed down the tunnel with a burst
of speed, and it
wasn't over yet, as Nemo went on singing, taking a great plaesure in it.
Umi's hushed prayers could be heard here and then.
"The Men in Black
Right on, Right on
The Men in Black (the men in black)
The car had like a jolt and missed the roof by a whisker.
"Let me see ya just bounce it with me
And down to scratch the floor. Hikaru wasn't sure if she was still seated
on her bottom or on
her head.
"Just bounce with me
Just bounce it with me c'mon"
And now rolling to one side, the wing caressing the wall; Umi was able to
see the tinyest
crack in the concrete, even if she didn't wanted.
"Let me see ya just slide with me"
To the other wall. Ferio was had cold sweat running down his spine.
"Just slide with me
Just slide with me c'mon"
Now Nemo shook the control column, messing his passengers even more, but
that wasn't
the worst thing.
"Let me see ya take a walk with me"
Four pairs of eyes went plate-sized as they spotted the end of the tunnel,
a solid-looking
concrete wall with the red sign: DEAD END.
"We're going to crash!" Umi cried grabbing Hikaru's neck.
"Just walk with me
Take a walk with me c'mon"
Nemo grabbed the gear shift, now turned into a more appropriate thrust
control lever, and
pulled it all back at some meters from the end; of everything. Speed
decreased so quickly
the car was zooming.
"And make your neck work"
He put in all the clutch, with the other foot still on the gas. The car was
now vertical.
"Now freeze"
The car stopped in midair; the next second three cries exploded: Nemo's
feminine high, the
roar of the engine as the clutch was released and that of the passengers: the
exit was
*above* them. It was a long shaft, with grey walls dotted with cables and
wires; here and
there they surpassed steel double doors set in the walls with progressive
numbers painted on
them.
"So this is a skyscraper" managed to say Fuu against the acceleration that
left her stomach
behind.
The music now faded away, as the vehicle reached the end of the tunnel and
made its way
into Tokyo's night sky.
"So..." asked Nemo with a glimpse of pleasure in his voice. "Striking,
isn't it?"
Umi was going to be sick on the floor.
"Yeah" breathed Hikaru watching donw at the lights. "I never thought I
could see Tokyo
from here."
"Yes, interesting" cut short Fuu. "But can you tell us where are we going?"
"We are going to a rendezvous point with one of our ships."
"Like the NSX?" asked Ferio, intersted on how a Earth spaceship could look.
"The NSX" explained Fuu at Nemo's questioning gaze "is something comparable
as...as...the Japanese Yamato. With some more centuries of technology."
"I fear we have no Yamato" he said shaking his head. "The only thing that
was flying around
here was an old cargo-modified corvette, so we'll have to please. Anyway" he
continued,
talking to Hikaru this time "if that ship from Cefiro is the NSX, could you
eventually tell them
to leave immediately?"
"Yes, I think so" she answered.
"Good, we don't have time to lose."
"Excuse me" Fuu interjected "but why are you so interested with time,
Nemo-san?"
"Well as I was going to tell you..."
A sudden alarm-cry complete with red light pierced the conversation and
took them by
surprise; luckyly, Nemo's reactions were fast enough.
Something flashed near them. It was a...giant panda.
"What was *that*?" Umi asked trying to get her foot off from Nemo's neck.
"I don't know" answered Fuu, with her face millimeters from Ferio's.
"Ahem...folks, could we try to get back to normality?" Nemo asked, from
among Hikaru's
hair.
"Hey, you two..." Umi said a moment later.
"What's the matter there?" Nemo said.
"Oh, nothing" Hikaru said candidly. "Fuu and Ferio are still wrapped on one
another."
"Leave them alone" Umi interjected. "What that was?"
"I don't know" Nemo answered. "But over Nerima this things happen all the
time; it's more
dangerous than flying over the airport."
"Could I ask you another thing?" said Umi slyly.
"Spit."
"Are you male?"
Beads on his face.
In the same moment, from the docks, another vehicle made its way for the
sky. Invisible
and unseen, it brought to space a precious card for Nemo and his schemes, a
card with
flowing blonde hair and a taste for silly tortures.
#Sea monster#
"Please everybody, fasten security belts, we are approaching orbit."
"What?" asked Hikaru. "I thought only shuttles or the like could."
"Right" Nemo explained. "But because they don't have a gravity repulsion
system. We
have, and so need no booster rocket to reach escape speed; in a certain point
of view, we
are already outside Earth's G-field."
"Sugoi!" breathed Hikaru.
"One last thing" the captain said. "Lack of gravity does weird things on
stomachs, so be
within reach of one of those paper bags under the seats."
"Do you really mean we're going zero-g?" Hikaru cheered.
"Yes, this vehicle is too small to house a g-field generator."
Little by little, gravity diminished as Earth became a dark shape beneath
them, crossed by
translucent clounds and in the distance, lighted by a thin sunray; now
Hikaru's pigtail was
floating over her head.
"Hey" suddenly asked Nemo "back there, are you..." he couldn't finish,
frozen in a
fraightened moronic expression with hands into Ranma-style.
"Umi" said then Hikaru "try to get your hair back."
"It's not so easy!" she yelled from beneath a mass of blue silk. "Look! I'm
a mess!"
An unpleasant sound brought them back to reality.
"Fuu..." Hikaru forced against the retch.
Sound again.
Umi and Nemo were of the same hue of sick grey.
"I'm fine" she managed to say when she could breath again.
"Oh, I'm sorry..." Hikaru said with care, but she sweatdropped when Nemo
whispered:
"Don't worry, she has Ferio to soothe her."
"Shut up! I'm just..."
"Envious" he finished with mock-slyness. "But this is not time for such
things!" he cried in
dramatic-victorious way. "Look, here's the *Cariddi*."
They were approaching a jet black ship, nearly invisible before for the
lack of any type of
illumination, saving feeble position-warning lights. It looked like a
double-sized bulky
typhoon-class russian atomic submarine, slightly modified; the bower part was
in fact sided
by bulges, like if two other smaller submarines had been fused there after
removing turrets
and screws. The name S.N.S. CARIDDI gleamed in white letters from the hull.
"It's not so big" Umi stated with some delusion.
Nemo went uneasy and a drop slid down his brow. "I told you it was small."
"What S.N.S means?" asked Fuu.
"Oh, nothing, just Superintendent Nemo Ship. Just like H.M.S. or U.S.S.."
"So you are the *owner* of that ship" said Hikaru.
"More or less. I have some kind of responsibility for its uses and its
men."
"And that *Superintendent*?" Ferio interjected. "It's some kind of nobiliar
title?"
"If you want to call it so. I see it a a more official and ceremonial way
to address me."
A voice croaked from the radio (yes, there was one on the car): "Sir, you
are approaching
the S.N.S. Cariddi; please prepare for landing in landing bay two."
"Roger" he said siding the ship and decreasing speed. When he was halfway
there, a whole
section of the Cariddi on one of the 'bulges' silently opened revealing an
hangar. "Prepare for
landing" Nemo said dryly.
With a puff and a screech of tyres, they stopped.
"Arrrggghhh!" Umi yelled when her feet touched ground. "It's slippery! And
cold, too!"
"Sure it is" Nemo said with a touch of irony.
"Why?" Hikaru asked staring at the hoarfrost that covered all the
now-sealed landing bay.
"It's the cold of space" Nemo explained walking toward a door. "While we
can prevent *air*
from escaping when the hatch is open, the *temperature* still drops below
zero."
"Yeah, sure, but it's slippery anyway!" Umi cried, trying to brush her hair
as best as she
could.
They went on something very like a building yard elevator, and after for
some seconds
through a short corridor that faintly stank of cabbages and was a bit rusty,
before getting at
what should have been the bridge: a roughly oval room located at the base of
the turret, with
the captain's seat in the middle and the others' circling it.
At their arrival, all the poeple, captain included, stood up and saluted.
"The situation" Nemo ordered dryly.
"Sir" the captain briefed "the unidentified ship is in sensor and visual
range; we have
already sent a standard alert message."
"Good, put it on the main screen and open comnications."
When the NSX appeared, Nemo had to block a sudden shudder: that spaceship
was huge,
and very nasty-looking. The Cariddi would have been no match for it.
"Yes!" Hikaru cheered. "It's the NSX!"
Nemo relaxed just a bit.
On the screen appeared Geo's frowning face. "I am Geo Metro, captain of
Autozam's
flagship NSX" he said. "Identify yourself."
<He's named like the offroad...> "I am Suprintendent Nemo, Admiral of the
Sol Fleet, and
let me remind you that *you* are the trepasser. Specify your business here or
we'll be forced
to open fire."
"If you want a battle, a battle you'll have" Geo replied.
Nemo was about to stop him, but Hikaru cried: "Geo! I'm happy to see you
again!"
A bead slid down his brow. "Hikaru? What in the world are you doing
*there*!?"
"It's a long story, Geo" Ferio said entering the scene. "I think you came
after me, right?"
"Ferio!" he cried.
"We are all here, Geo-san" Fuu said bowing.
"Somebody wants to explain me?" Geo begged.
"And me, too" another voice said, a second before Lantis appeared on the
screen.
"Lantis!" Hikaru cried of joy.
<Now here's what was wrong with her...> Nemo thought, managing not to
facefault.
"Superintendent Nemo" Lantis cried. "I guess you are responsible for the
recent trouble on
Cefiro."
He nodded.
"Then" Geo continued "I must inform you that we are here to make sure about
your real
intention *and* to return Ferio home." He stood there, waiting for an answer.
"Lantis" Hikaru intejected "I'm so happy to see you again."
"Me too" he said with a sparkle in his eyes. "What is happening there?"
"Nothing to worry about, we are all safe. He doesn't wants to attack
Cefiro, it has been a
mistake."
"Yes, a mistake not to be repeated" Nemo suddenly said. "I assure you we
have no hostile
intentions toward your planet and that all that had happened was only our
fault. I apologize
for any damage to things or living beings. To guarantee our good faith, I'm
sending you Ferio
and the Magic Knights on a shuttle."
"We accept your apologies" Lantis said in the same cremonial way, but Nemo
interrupted
with a sharp request:
"Only if you swear to return to your dimension immediately and never to
come back."
There was a brief exchance of glances between Lantis and Geo, then they
nodded.
"All right" the Superintendent said. "Prepare the shuttle."
"So, it is time to say goodbye" Hikaru said ten minutes later, when they
were about to leave
the Cariddi.
"Yes, it is" Nemo said dryly.
"Goodbye" Umi said hastily as she jumped onboard.
It was was Ferio's and Fuu's turn. "I bid you farewell, Nemo" the prince
said. "Even if you
have not been kind with us, I know you had your reasons."
"I'm glad you understood, Ferio. Perhaps I've been too rude, especially
with Fuu, but try to
forgive me."
"I'll try, Nemo-san" she said bowing and getting on the ship.
"Nemo" Hikaru stopped as she climbed inside "I think we'll never see again,
right?"
"We shouldn't; why?"
"Just to know; you're not so evil as you try to be. Farewell." And she
closed the porthole.
Nemo stood there with a half-smile on his face until the shuttle to left
the landing bay, then
returned to the bridge; after defrosting himself.
The tin can Nemo had named shuttle entered the NSX, at last, and the
passengers (there
was no pilot) were jolted about all the landing, but it mattered little, as
everyone had a good
reason to reach Autozam's spaceship.
<At last I'm away from him> was Fuu thought.
<Now I'm going home; alas, I have, my dear, even if I don't want.> Ferio
hugged Fuu a bit
closer to him.
Hikaru had dreamy eyes and kitty ears. <Lantis...>
<I hope they'll have a comb or something on that damned wreck, I look like
a hedgehog.>
(Guess.)
Inside the (much warmer) NSX, Geo, Zazu and Lantis were the first people
they saw. It was
a real joy seeing them again, in a more happy situation than before; after
all, no world was in
danger, and nobody had to sacrifice a life. The more radiant was Hikaru, who
jumped to hug
Lantis even before touching ground. While she was nearly in tears and Lantis
had a hard
time keeping his balance, the others moved away a couple of clicks and
greeted.
"So, we are going home?" Ferio asked with a hint of sadness.
"I understand what you mean but..." but Zazu was blocked by Geo, that had
sided the boy
and with a poke at his ribs and a sly brows move broke the magical
atmosphere.
"At last, boy..."
"Ohhhh" Zazu begged "not again your macho-man way of thinking!"
Ferio grew a bead, Fuu blushed, but Geo hadn't stopped.
"Hey, you two!" he cried at Hikaru and Lantis. "Come out from hiding and
join us!"
At those words, Lantis blinked and fell sprawling, with Hikaru the same hue
of her hair.
"Geo, please..." Zazu tried a last time to get back the captain to
normality, but something
else managed to do it: a nearby screen lit and the face of one officer
appeared on it.
"Sir" he said worried "you should come back to the bridge, another ship has
been detected
in the area."
"Trouble's coming...follow me" Geo took the group away.
When they were all in the main command hub of the ship, all was bustling.
Scanners,
terminals, operators.
"The situation!" Geo ordered.
"Sir, the new ship has appeared from nowhere at 300 km; it must have used
some sort of
stealth field to evade our sensors. It has not moved yet."
"Damn, I knew we were not to trust that Nemo; prepare the NSX for combat!"
On the Cariddi, Nemo had just climbed up to the bridge again when a cry
made him freeze.
"Sir, ship sighted at 300 km, the identification code is..."
The last words never made to his brain, chilled to the core at the black
shape from his
nightmares that took form in front of his eyes.
#Battle of the three ships#
"My..." Zazu breathed as he looked at the new ship. It was completely
black, a different
color from Nemo's corvette, as that was paint, while this seemed more likely
the natural
texture of whatever mineral or alloy it was made of. The shape itself was
weird: a pyramid,
that to the earthly observer could have reminded one of the Incas', covered
with colossal
staircases, etchings and statues, all of the same material, all equally
warped and twisted into
alien shapes and patterns. To make the thing all the more disturbing, the
proportions of a
normal Inca pyramid had been modified to give the impression that a gigantic
fist or foot had
squeezed or tampled it, for the height was the half the width. Its dimensions
were something
midway the NSX and the Cariddi.
"What's happening?" Umi asked as she entered the room brushing her hair.
"Nemo prepared a trap for us!" Geo cried.
"We still don't know" Hikaru interjected.
"In any case, the situation is a bit different from what we were
expecting."
In that moment, suddenly and simultaneously, comm channels opened,
displaying on every
ship a screen split in two; in one part, there was either Geo, Lantis and the
others, or a
deadly pale Nemo. In the other, a nightmarish beast filled the sight with its
serpentine body
and heavy breath; the head, reminiscent of reptilian features, housed two
unnaturally
amethist-flickering spots.
Geo glanced at Nemo in such a intense way to wake him for a while.
"He...it is...not my fault" he managed to stutter.
"What?" Geo frowned.
The creature exhaled again and spoke: "What Superintendent Nemo is
pityfully trying to
explain, is that he has not called for me."
"Who are you, and what is your business here?" Lantis interjected.
Nemo gasped and whispered: "Try to be a little more polite with it!"
"Why?" was Umi's question.
"I think I must clear your ideas on this situation" Nemo began, with an eye
on the third party.
"It is an Eye...something like an inspector. Its duties are few, but it is
swift and precise in its
justice, and, believe me, it has the *power* to apply laws, if authority
would fail."
"Yes, but why is here?" Fuu asked adjusting her glasses.
Nemo opened his mouth, but the Eye spoke first: "It is your very presence
here the cause of
my voyage. In the position he holds, Superintendent Nemo has no right to
interfere with other
dimensions; but he did, and so I must settle things in the right way."
"But we are going away, and we sweared to never come back" Geo said, hoping
this would
save him more troubles.
"Yes, they did." But Nemo's voice was faint and trembling.
A sound of boiling engine grease came from the creature: "Superintendent
Nemo is too
weak, he makes too many scruples. I am not like him."
"What are you planning to do?" Lantis asked frowning.
"Considering such aggressive and massive intrusion in our universe, I think
I'm obliged to
proceed with phisical, total elimination of the threat."
"What!?!?!" Umi fumed, then burned Nemo with a glance. "Do something!"
"What?" he said shrugging.
"Try to stop it!" Fuu suggested. "Use some cavil or something."
"Sorry, but in this cases, laws are very vague. He could not execute you if
you were under
my protection, but now you are on an *hostile* ship. I cannot even interfere,
or risk a direct
attack on *my* ship."
"True" Fuu said adjusting her glasses with shrewdness. "But we Magic
Knights are from
Earth."
"Right" Lantis slapped his hands.
Still, Nemo was not so confident: "Alas, I don't think it will care for
such a detail."
The boiling laugh was heard again. "I fear you have no other choice but
perish. The only
way Superintendent Nemo could save you is by opposing me openly, but without
a proper
offense, he does not have the right or the willpower to do it. Perpare your
souls, if you
believe in them."
The transmission ended.
Geo clenched his fist in anger: "If it wants war, war it will have! Prepare
the NSX for
combat! Rise shields and heat all laser cannons."
"Do you think it's a good idea?" Lantis asked frowning.
"I really don't know" Geo answered sotto voce. "But it's the only thing we
can do." He then
said to Zazu: "Go to prepare the FTO and GTO, perhaps we'll need 'em."
"Wait" Hikaru interjected. "We want to help, too!"
Lantis smiled. "Yes, Guru Clef sends you a gift."
The Eye's ship had made no move; no shields had been detected, no lights
had lit, nor
anything had changed on its black surface; to make up for it, the NSX was
bustling: sirens
cried in every section to alert soldiers to man their positions, missiles
were prepared, laser
cannon heated, systems checked. The Cariddi, alone in a corner of space,
stood silent and
frightened, waiting for the storm to pass.
"Why are they waiting?" Lantis growled, trying to drive his fist into the
railing of the upper
bridge.
"Calm down, please" Hikaru touched his arm with care, and he relaxed.
"Yes, my dear" he turned to see her fully armored, gauntlet still gleaming
faintly.
"Any news?" Umi asked as Geo walked up and down the bridge like a caged
lion.
"No" he mumbled.
Umi growled something in desperation and said: "What's happening? What that
freak is
doing?"
"It's waiting" Zazu explained. "It wants to seize our strenght before
attacking; this means it is
overconfident of its powers."
"*Bad* mistake" she said clenching her fist. "I say bring the house down on
him *now*!"
"Don't be so impulsive Umi" Fuu began, but Geo interrupted with an order:
"Prepare betteries from two to twenty-five! Attack is the best defence."
Over the NSX's side, rows over rows of cannons peered out of portholes,
energy beams
forming inside them. The enemy didn't move, no barriers or shields blocked
their shots, and
the Eye's ship was soon engulfed in white, blue and green fiery bubbles.
When the lights faded, the ship was still there, untouched.
"Sir, the enemy is still intact; no signs of external damage" a voice cried
from below the
upper bridge.
"Damn!" Geo roared.
The Magic Knights glanced at Geo with surprise and fear; having withstanded
the firepower
of the ship before, they knew its possibilities.
"Fire again!" Geo ordered.
Another hellfire erupted in the void, but with no visible effect.
"What we must do to bring it down?" Geo asked, more to himself than to the
others.
"Prepare the Laguna cannon!"
"No!" Lantis interjected. "It's perfectly what the Eye is waiting for!"
"I'm not going to wait any more time..."
The surface of the Eye's ship *moved*; like a tar jar, its material
convulsed and twisted in
the patterns of waves of a stone tossed in a pool. From the very center of
the tremble,
energy erupted in a burst of semi-material white shards; arching toward the
NSX, their
numbers growing near hundreds, they stroke with incredible concussive
strenght,
disintegrating on the deflector shield. The ship shook and the decks moaned
with deforming
plates, but the red lights soon faded.
"Damage report!" Geo ordered, using the railing to get up.
"No damage, sir, but the shields are down."
"Heck" he mumbled. "How are you?" he asked to the others, still getting up.
"Fine, thank you" Fuu answered.
"What kind o' question!" Umi cried.
"There is no time to lose" Lantis silenced her. "We must go out there."
"What?" Geo said stiffily. "Do you want to take it down with the GTO and
FTO?"
"We have no other choice. We cannot let the NSX be damaged, or we'll never
get home."
"Lantis is right" Hikaru said stepping beside him. "But we will help." The
resolution of her
last words made clear arguing was pointless.
"But" Umi interjected "will the Mashins be able to reach us here?"
"The only way to be sure" Fuu said adjusting her glasses "is to try."
Few moments later, the special take-off shaft opened, and two giant mecha
gained the sky
with a sudden afterburners' burst; at the same time, three little figures
appeared on the open
deck of the NSX, raised their left hand, and cried a magical word. There was
a faint gleam
coming from their gloves, and three mighty shapes engulfed them.
The Mashins have reached their Knights even on Earth.
On the Cariddi, Nemo had a reaction; from the beginning of the fight he had
been watching
everything like a vegetable with a pale face, but the sight of the machas and
Mashins
awakened his mental activities.
"Scanner online."
The order took the operator by surprise and the answer came back after some
seconds.
"What I have to check, sir?"
"Those...mechas. Put on them all the ship's sensors, I want to know
everything of them;
even if they are full optional."
"Yes, sir!"
"I think this will come handy sooner or later."
#Fight#
"Hey, Geo" Zazu appeared on the GTO's comm screen. "Something's up with the
terran
ship; they turned all scrying gear on you."
"I don't have time for that" Geo bellowed. "Try to put to work *our* ship,
and try to tell me if
that black flying building has a weak spot." He turned off the vidscreen and
opened a link
with the others. "Do you have any idea?"
"Alas, no" Lantis said from the FTO's cockpit.
"If we don't come up with a plan, any attack will be pointless" Fuu stated.
"Why don't we ask Nemo for help" suggested Hikaru.
"Forget him" Umi spat. "Didn't you saw he was *frightened* like a babe in
the woods? I don't
think he'll be useful anyway."
"Then?" Hikaru asked.
"I ordered Zazu to send us as much data as he can get from the black ship,
but he'll need
time" Geo informed them.
"Good move" Lantis said. "But in the meantime, we must drive the enemy's
fire away from
the NSX, or we'll never be able to get home."
The were now near enough to distinguish the sculptures on the dark surface.
No sign of
activity was coming from the *building*, as Geo had named it.
"It's all too quiet" Umi said in a hushed tone.
"The calm before the storm" Lantis whispered.
Suddenly, all the surface the Eye's ship jolted, giving the impression it
was falling apart; and
it was actually falling apart, a great cloud froming over it, black like a
swarm of killer bees. As
it moved closer, it's components became clearer, and more fearful: the
twisted statues
themselves had risen to fight. Individually, they were half the height of a
Mashin, but the
incredible numbers evened the odds, even too much for their tastes.
"Prepare yourselves" Geo cried aiming his bazooka at the weird creatures;
the first shot tore
a hole in the swarm, soon filled by more monsters.
"We must try to break their ranks!" Lantis cried opening fire with
machine-gun-like lasers.
"Right, then" Hikaru said. "Hono no Ya!" Charred remain vanished.
"Aoi Tatsumaki!" More enemies were washed to nothing.
"Imashime no Kaze!"
The last spell protected them from the impact of the swarm, some of the
statues actually
crashing and crumbling on the soft-green barrier.
"Prepare for the hand-to-hand!" Geo cried bursting in the middle of them
cannon-leveled.
The action became wild, in the whirling mass of black shapes, sword
slashes, laser shots,
cries, spells, explosions, snarls, shrieks, disintegrating monsters.
"Hikaru" Umi cried as soon as she cut down a group of enemies to get to her
friend. "We
must do something, and immediately!"
"You're right" she said tearing away the wings of a monster. "They're too
much."
"Hold on!" Geo whizzed past them followed by a trail of explosions. "They
are going to end
sooner or later."
Lantis, some clicks away, but still behind a thick wall of cretures, was
using the FTO's
lightsaber to deal with the survivors of his long-ranged attacks. Fuu was
attacking the swarm
from outside to control the Eye's ship, guarding the rear for a possible
backstab.
"Lantis!" Hikaru cried blasting through the mass of enemies.
"I'm here." The FTO appeared at her side. "How are you?"
"Not a scratch, and you?"
"All systems working."
"I didn't mean the mecha."
If the FTO could have smiled, it would.
"Lantis" Geo's voice croacked from the comm screen. "Stop flirting and help
us with this
mess."
The other three had been chocked inside a swarm of bat-looking statues, and
only Fuu's
Warning Wind was keepint them at bay.
"Ready?" the magic swordman asked.
"When you want" was the answer.
Two spinning rays of energy, red and white, beamed to the target; when the
light faded
away the green bubble of the Green Knight was still shining faintly, but they
were free.
"Who's next?" Geo sneered.
But someone else interrupted. "Geo, do you hear me?"
"What's the matter, Zazu?
"There's activity in the alien ship; I think it's prepaing to strike
again."
"All power to the shields then; make sure nothing is damaged."
"Geo, the problem is that *you* are the target."
"I think he's right" Fuu said pointing the Eye's ship; it was charging
another attack, the
blurring effect a clear sign.
"Oh f...rise your shields or whatever-you-have!" Geo cried.
The FTO's and GTO's defense systems were turned full-strenght, while Fuu
protected her
fellow Knights.
The wave-like effect stopped, changing drastically to reflect the new
situation, this time
breaking into *three* smaller 'pools' with three different volleys shot, each
aimed at a
different target. The projectiles blasted throught the horde of monsters,
wiping it out and
losing some of its power, then slammed on the five's defenses. After glancing
the first blows
the barriers broke, filling space with screams and dusty azure mist.
"Hikaru! Umi! Fuu!" Lantis called as soon as he got again an hold on the
FTO's controls.
"I'm here" the redhead cried, glimpsing the mecha's shape. "We're fine,
just the usual cuts
and bruises. You?"
"Let me check..." all over the cockpit, red lights were flaring. "Minor
damage, don't worry."
"Ahem, Lantis..." Umi interjected "...the FTO has lost one arm."
"Never mind that" he replied opening a comm channel with Geo.
"This junk is falling apart" he growled. "The main cannon is gone,
targeting system gone,
shields 10% and propulsion systems 35%. When I'll lay my hands on Zazu..."
Lantis smiled. "At least there are no more *bugs* flying around here."
"Yeah" Umi said "but I fear problems are not over yet."
"Me too" Hikaru readied her sword once again. "Stand on guard."
Zazu's face appeared, broken by static, on Lantis' comm screen. "Hey, you
are *not* going
on fighting, are you? Come back immediatley, or you'll never get back at all!
The Mashins
maybe can get repaired with magic, but the mechas have no such luck!"
"I think he's right" Lantis said with a do-what-daddy-says tone.
"Alas" Geo replied. "Magic Knights, come with us back to the NSX, alone you
wouldn't stand
a chance."
"But..." Hikaru began, but Lantis stopped her:
"Come *now*. We're going to try the Laguna Cannon."
"At last you agree with me" Geo remarked. "I'll tell Zazu to charge the
ship up."
The Eye's ship sat there, motionless like a predator with a prey in its
paws.
#The last card#
"Sir" the voice rang on the Cariddi's bridge "scanners indicates incresing
activity on the
NSX."
Nemo was shook for an instant from his semi-comatose state in front of the
crystal
windows.
"Sir..."
"What kind of activity?" he asked awakening.
"They are accumulating energy."
Suddenly, on the bridge's screen appeared the Eye and Geo; the three-ways
comm has
been opened again.
"What..." both captains started.
"Now" the Eye growled "that you have withstanded my absolute power, and you
have lost,
it's time *for me to crush you*."
"We will not surrender so easily!" Lantis cried clenching his fist in front
of the creature.
"Pathetic" was the answer. "You stand no chances. Superintendent Nemo, do
you have
some last words for your *friends*?"
"I..."
"C'mon, do something!" Umi tried to shake him.
The his face twisted into a grin. "Yes...bring her here" he ordered to a
guard, and then
continued, bolder than before. "Both know, my dear Eye, that I cannot attack
you without a
proper *casus belli*, in this instance a threat to my ship, but you was sure
it couldn't happen
and that I was not powerful enough. All true."
"So?" it asked.
"Yes, so?" Umi pressed, but Fuu stopped her:
"I think he has something up. Lantis, did you said nobody else was brought
to Earth by his
experiments?"
"Yes. Are you suggesting he kidnapped somebody else to use as a shield?"
"More wondering than suggesting. Perhaps you haven't noticed the
disappearance."
"Possible" Zazu commented.
Nemo went on: "But what will you do if not all extradimensional beings are
on *that* ship,
and two dreadnoughts of my personal fleet are in this moment crossing
Jupiter's orbit?"
"You're bluffing" the Eye said quietly.
"Test me."
"Pathetic."
The door behind Nemo opened, and a blonde with a loose fitting pajamas came
on the
bridge, helped by the same guard exited before. She was weary and pale, but
her eyes were
bright, and as soon as she entered, she walked, alone, up to Nemo and stood
there.
"I would like to introduce to you Presea, from Cefiro" he said with a
glorious smile plastered
on his face.
The NSX's bridge was shook by a cry: "Presea!?!?"
"*Nemo*" Umi bellowed pointing at him with an accusatory finger "*why you
didn't tell us she
was here*?"
"Yes" Ferio interjected "were you afraid to lose you *ace in the sleeve*?"
"Guys, guys, guys" Nemo clumsily tried to stop the flow of accuses "try to
understand me..."
Nobody seemed to care much about what he was saying, anyway, and the
attention now fell
on Presea with a load of questions that ranged from "How are you" to "Who
gave you that
horrible pajamas". She tried to answer all questions with a warm smile, but
an inhuman roar
hushed them all.
"*Stop your insignificant chatter*! Your doom is here now, and it doesn't
matters if I have to
attack you, Nemo; after dealing with the NSX, I'll have all the time for you
too."
<Damn, the situation is getting out of my hands> Nemo thought sending a
written message
on the comm operator's screen: --Scramble the Eye's channel--
The half occupied by the creature on the main screen filled with static and
random noises.
"Geo, we must move quickly" Nemo said dryly. "Are you charging up for a big
strike?"
"Yes."
"Perfect. Hold until I tell you."
"Sir" a voice cried "the Eye's ship is preparing another assault!"
"Set an interception course!" <And pray whatever gods you know.>
On the NSX's bridge.
"Geo, you are not going to follow his orders, are you?" Umi asked.
"Why not?" Hikaru interjected. "At last, he wants to help us."
"I think he wants to help only himself, but that's the same" Fuu stated
with surgical
precision.
"Don't be so rude with him" Lantis said. "He has heavy responsibilities;
under a certain point
of view, he is risking much."
"How can you say this?"
Lantis' eyes filled with sadness: "We should all know a lot about
responsibilities."
"Sorry..." was the only thing she could mutter.
Zazu's voice interjected from the lower bridge: "Geo, I suggest you take a
decision, the
enemy ship is preparing another attack."
"Shield status."
"24%" was Zazu's not very reassuring answer.
"Hold the Laguna Blast!" Geo ordered. "We have very few other choices."
The surface of the Eye's ship wavered for the last time: the target had no
more shields. One
shot, and it would be gone; two shots, and the Superintendent would be gone,
at least for a
while. Victory was its, as always.
A single, compact projectile emerged from the Eye's ship, aimed at the
NSX's core.