"Kirameki-kun!" Asako screamed again. "Why are you just standing
there?"
Daisuke made no response. Raphael frowned. "Halo, scratch that
counter-hack on the teacher 'struct," he snapped. "Get those doors open!"
Halo nodded. Within seconds the doors pushed open and the throng of
students could push their way out into the hallways.
"You fool!" Kobe-sensei cried from the platform. "The Konstruct will be
able to leave the room now!"
"I'm not the one who turned a shorted military 'struct onto a bunch of
kids," Raphael snapped.
"It would have been a poor demonstration of the Kira Kira System's
abilities if I had not used a dangerous model," Kobe-sensei replied, adjusting her
hat.
The Nakada-sensei Konstruct knocked Daisuke backwards. The small boy
was thrown into the wall with a crash. He fell to the ground without once
showing any expression.
"Damnit," Raphael hissed, pointing a finger of shame at Kobe-sensei.
"Look, lady, that is a rather pricey little toy you happen to have your 'struct
tossing around."
"Kirameki-kun!" Asako cried, now free of Raphael's hold. She ran
towards where Daisuke lay, only to have the Konstruct leap down in her path.
"Asako!" Raphael cried, taking a step forward, but Halo held him back.
Asako froze like a deer in the headlights, as the crazed Nakada-sensei rose
above her, brandishing its claws. She raised her arms up over her face in a futile
attempt to brace for the worst. "Someone, help me!"
*
Twilight Meanderings Presents:
Kira*Kira Karu!
Mad Season 2: Off With His Head!
by: Chandra Rooney
hikaru@twinkletwinkle.co.uk
*
Asako squeezed her eyes shut, but the devastating blow never came.
Opening her eyes and hesitantly lowering her arms, she found herself staring at
the back of a white cloak. The arm with the silver bracelet was out in front of the
young man; his fist was enclosed around the Konstruct's outstretched claw, easily
holding the attacker at bay. "You!" Asako exclaimed.
"You should be running now," Karu told her, his eyes not leaving the face
of the Konstruct. "Class A10. Model 31-12-10. Standard Issue Security for
Level 5 Military Base. Assigned to Nagasaki." He paused. "You're a long way
from home, solider."
"Nakada-sensei," Kobe Erika called calmly from the platform, "if you
would be so kind as to give a demonstration of the power of a Class A10
enerobe?"
The Konstruct's mouth stretched into a horrible parody of a grin as long
feral fangs grew from its jaws. "It will be a great honor to destroy you, Hunter," it
replied, pulling back its claws. "KIYA!" The Konstruct thrust its palms forward,
as an explosive succession of orange energy balls blasted out towards the young
man.
Karu flipped over backwards, grabbing Asako and pulling her out of the
way as the energy balls chewed up the ground where they had been standing.
"You are a weakling, Hunter," the Konstruct sneered, "simply dancing about like
a coward." It raised its palms again. "If you truly wish to dance, then I shall
honor your desire. KIYA!" Another succession of energy balls launched
themselves at the young man.
The young man leapt up again, this time landing back beside Raphael and
Halo. He turned, peering at Halo through his energy visor. "Are you just going to
watch, Angel, or are you going to get these people to a safe location?" he asked.
Halo raised her arm and opened her palm. A blast of white energy
slammed into the Konstruct, burning a hole in its shoulder. "The Hunter is
correct, Raphael. I must insist that you allow me to provide sufficient cover while
you and Asako Kobe make an escape."
"Your girlfriend is a Konstruct!" Asako exclaimed.
"I am not his girlfriend," Halo replied.
"And we prefer the term 'Free Enerobe-Powered Individual'," Raphael
added.
"What are you babbling about?" Asako demanded. "That doesn't make
any sense!"
"Now's not the time to explain it," Halo replied. She raised her hand
again, and another blast of white energy clipped the Konstruct on its other
shoulder. "I may be able to drive the Fighter back, but I cannot disarm or return it
to a state of hibernation."
"What does that mean?" Asako asked, looking from Halo to Raphael to
the strange young man with the visor. "What is going on here?"
"Get to Kirameki-sensei," Karu instructed. "He has the passwords to shut
down the main power generator and put a stop to this broadcast."
"But why do we have to stop the broadcast?" Asako stopped. "Are any of
you listening to me?"
"No time to explain," Raphael told her. "Come on, Asako-chan!"
"We can't leave!" she cried. "What about Kirameki-kun? What about my
mother?"
"In case you failed to notice," Raphael drug her towards the door, "your
mother is the one telling that whacked-out 'struct what to do!"
"But Kirameki-kun --"
"He'll be fine," Karu yelled at her. "Now, get out of here!"
Half-running, half-dragging Asako behind him, Raphael made his way out
the door. The Konstruct turned, lunging towards Halo as she backed out the door,
but another powerful blast of white energy sent it reeling.
"Oh no you don't," Karu hissed, as the rod of blue energy formed in his
hand. "Your opponent is me!" The rod shifted into a blue-energy boomerang and
whirled through the air to slice through the Konstruct's arm before spinning back
into Karu's hand.
The Konstruct looked down at its left arm lying on the floor of the
presentation room. Wires sparked and flashed as the electrical current in its
shoulder circuitry searched for the rest of the feedback loops of its nervous
system. "Foolish Hunter," it leered, "you truly have no idea what you face." The
arm on the ground began to vibrate and then lifted into the air to reattach itself to
the empty socket. "As you can see, this is a most durable host."
Karu's eyes narrowed behind his visor as the spec bracelet ran up the data
files it could find on the Konstruct before him. "That's impossible," he muttered,
"there isn't a disable function located on this model--"
"Oh ho ho ho ho!" Kobe-sensei cackled from her position behind the
podium. "That's right, Karu, this Konstruct was specially created to show you
how useless your precious Kira Kira System is!" She peered down at him from
overtop of her dark glasses. "Without a disable function, you don't have a hope of
shutting down the Fighter Unit!"
Karu looked back at Kobe-sensei. "This all seems a little too dramatic,
even for you, Kobe-sensei," he remarked. "You make it sound like you want to
prove the Kira Kira System is a failure, even if it means someone has to die in real
time on your video stream."
Kobe-sensei stifled another cackle. "Contrary," she replied. "I happen to
have the greatest of faith in your abilities, Karu. I simply felt it was time to stop
babying you and let you have a taste of what you're really up against. The Kira
Kira System can only do so much, but you are so much more than just a database
and a spec bracelet my dear Hunter."
The Konstruct's claws raked the air next to Karu's head, clipping one of
the wing-like pieces of his visor. Karu refocuses his attention on the militia unit.
Despite the fact that it was a high-level fighting unit, the Konstruct was really
doing very little aside from waving its claws about and firing the occasional
energisphere.
It didn't make sense. A unit like the one before him should have been able
to lay the entire Laboratory to waste. Could it be that the attack really was just an
elaborately staged ploy for the benefit of the unseen viewers of the presentation?
"Hey, Hunter," the Konstruct grinned that horrid face-splitting expression.
"How long has it been since you saw one of us do this?" The Konstruct split,
exploding outwards with a violent force. Six tentacles pawned at the ground as
the torso of the beast rose above Karu. Four arms with razor sharp claws raised
above the young man, as the creature's single blank orange eye narrowed as it
revealed its rows of sharp jagged teeth. The whole thing stood about seven feet
tall and was a sort of brown that reminded Karu of rotting bananas. The creature's
four palms opened towards Karu and an orange glow began to form around each
of them.
The spec bracelet beeped once and then went dead as the visual overlay of
the Konstruct's mechanical plans vanished from the visor. Karu swallowed.
"This _can't_ be a good thing--"
*
"Any followers, Halo?" Raphael called, as they rounded a corner.
"None," Halo reported. "It appears the Konstruct is only interested in the
Hunter."
"That's no surprise," Raphael replied. "After all, why mess around with us
when he can go after the grand prize?" He stopped. "Okay, Asako-chan, now
which way to this observation room that Kirameki-sensei said he was going to be
in?"
"I-- I--" Asako panted for breath. "I don't know! I've never been
anywhere other than the offices. It was Kirameki-kun that spent a great deal of
time wandering around lost."
"Well, Daisuke isn't here to tell us where to go," Raphael reminded her.
"Halo, pull up a building plan and find this place."
Halo nodded. "Proceed past the offices into the restricted access area,"
she replied. "I suggest that we do not bother with passwords and simply force our
way in. The panicked crowd is sure to have attracted the local authorities or at
least the Laboratory security." She paused. "This is not what I would call good
publicity."
"Maybe we'll get lucky and they'll all be called off to fight Godzilla,"
Raphael suggested. Halo gave him an unimpressed look. "All right, all right," he
sighed, holding up his hands defensively. "Start thinking of a way to spin this in
our favor. Emphasis the success of the Kira Kira System, but have a few options
for if it does fail."
"I will do so," Halo nodded. She began walking. "Proceeding to the
Observation Room. Follow me."
Raphael slung his arm around Asako's shoulder, with his other hand he
took her hand in his. "Don't worry, Asako-chan," he told her, "I'll protect you."
"I don't need _your_ protection!" Asako pulled her hand free of Raphael's
grasp so she could slap him. "I need protection from you," she snapped, placing
her hands on her hips. "No more games. I want to know just who you are, Rafu-
san!"
"Hey, this is the first time you've called me by my name," Raphael smiled.
"You must be warming to my charms--" Asako's school case met the side of his
head.
"Where did you get that thing from?" Raphael asked, rubbing his head. "I
swear it got left behind."
"I happened to pick it up as we made our escape," Halo explained, pausing
halfway down the corridor to look back at them. "Asako seems to be quite adept
at using it for defensive maneuvers."
"Oh, Halo," Raphael sniffled, "why are you so cruel to me?"
"Enough!" Asako snapped, brandishing her school case in a manner that
would intimidate most martial arts experts. "You had better tell me what's going
on and who you are, because I doubt very much that you're just some exchange
student!"
Raphael scratched his cheek. "I don't recall ever claiming to be an
exchange student," he remarked. "But I suppose it's only fair you know. I'm
Raphael Cross, the president of Cross Enerobe Research and Development
Technologies." He extended his hand.
"And?" Asako prompted, eyeing his hand as if it would sprout claws at
any moment. Of course, after what happened with Nakada-sensei, very little
would seem all that surprising.
Raphael sweat-dropped. "And?" he repeated. "Hello? Does Cross
Enerobe Research and Development Technologies of Kamloops mean nothing to
you?" He stared at her, open-mouthed. "Surely you've heard of my company!
We're only the most internationally renowned and acclaimed experts on the
Enerobe Technology that powers Konstructs."
Asako shook her head. "I think you're making that up. Now tell me who
you really are." She waved the school case dangerously.
"I just did!" Raphael protested, yanking his hand away for fear of being
swatted. "My company is one of the major sponsors of the Kira Kira System
project." He paused. "Look, I can prove it as soon as we find Kirameki-sensei."
"How convenient," Asako replied, coldly. "And then you can tell him
how you left his son to die!"
"Daisuke?" Raphael blinked. "Oh, no, no," he insisted, waving his hands.
"Daisuke's safe and sound."
"Kirameki-kun was thrown into a wall by something that pretended to be
our teacher!" Asako reminded him, loudly.
"Oh that," Raphael started to laugh. "That wasn't Daisuke, Asako-chan,
that was the Konstruct that I designed. You see, Kirameki-sensei was building it
for me, and he requested that I wait until after the presentation to pick it up." He
paused. "I'm not quite sure why he had it patterning Daisuke's appearance, but
I'm sure all will be explained once we reach Kirameki-sensei." He paused. "In
fact, I'd be willing to bet that Daisuke is hanging around in the Observation room
worried sick about you." He paused. "Or maybe he didn't even come to school
today. For all we know, the Konstruct could have been patterning him since this
morning."
"I have news for you," Asako told him, hotly, "I pick Kirameki-kun up for
school from his house everyday, and--"
"Asako is correct," Halo replied, briskly. "Daisuke Kirameki was present
with us until after the class arrived at this labratory. I assume that his exchange
with the Konstruct took place between when Asako and Daisuke were asked to
remain behind and when Asako and the Konstruct arrived at the presentation
room." She paused. "Now, perhaps it would be wisest to proceed to the
Observation room. I am certain Dr. Kirameki would be most uneasy about the
methods Dr. Kobe is using in the demonstration."
"You forget that the good Dr. Kirameki hot-wired somebody's brain,"
Raphael reminded her.
"This matter involves his son," she replied, and began walking again.
Raphael sighed. "Yeah, yeah," he muttered. "I tell you, Asako-chan, this
whole thing just doesn't smell right. Demonstration or not, who leaves the room
to just watch while someone sets a killing machine on a bunch of school kids--"
he stopped looking around. "Asako-chan?"
The titanium plated school case of Asako Kobe slammed into the side of
his head. "Are you coming or not, Rafu-san?" she demanded. "Stupid foreigner,"
she added as Raphael simply gurgled in reply from his place on the floor.
*
Karu leapt out of the way as an energy sphere slammed into the wall. He
flipped out the way of a succession coming from one of the Konstruct's other
arms. The third arm sent its attack speeding towards Karu's landing place, only to
find the boy rebounding off the floor into another dodging jump.
"Just one more before it has to stop and power back up," Karu muttered,
turning his attention back to his opponent. It seemed a small miracle that the
creature still functioned by the regular Konstruct standards after he witnessed it
shed its skin and morph into the atrocity that stood before him. "Come on," Karu
hissed, "we both know that you can't fully power back up unless you shoot at me
again."
A tentacle lashed at the boy, and Karu swatted it away with the energy
rod. The tentacle smoked as it recoiled. Karu looked at the energy rod and then
back at the scorch mark on the tentacle's brown skin. "Maybe..." he muttered. If
the Konstruct hurried up and took its shot, he could try to deal some physical
damage with the rod while the unit was powering back up. "Yeah," he nodded,
"that could work."
Kobe-sensei cackled from her place on the platform. During the battle,
she had calmly sipped a can of Royal Milk Tea and watched unconcerned. The
whole experience was rather unnerving for Karu. Sure, he had been watched
during the tests, but that had been different. Kobe-sensei and Kirameki-sensei
had been out of his line of sight, and he certainly hoped that they hadn't been
laughing while he tried to avoid being disintegrated by a high-powered energy
blast.
"As you can see," Kobe-sensei announced to the invisible viewers, "the
Kira Kira System has greatly enhanced Karu's agility and reflexes." She paused,
taking a sip of tea. "Or so Kirameki-sensei would have you believe. I personally
don't note much of a difference, and I'm sure that's just adrenaline."
Karu shifted his vision to her. He looked back at the Konstruct. "Maybe
its system is too taxed," he mused. "Maybe it isn't holding off the final shot--
maybe it's powering up for another round of attacks." He watched the Konstruct,
noticing how it seemed to have gone dormant, like it had done before when it was
powering up. "Idiot," he muttered, "you should have known."
Lunging forward, he dashed towards the podium platform. "Kobe-
sensei!" he cried. "I demand you stop this demonstrat--" That was as far as he
got before a tentacle wrapped around his ankle and hoisted him into the air.
Kobe-sensei gave Karu a disappointed frown. "Do stop playing around,
Karu," she told him. "You're dishonoring the title of Hunter."
"Kobe-sensei," Karu implored, as the blood rushed to his head. "This has
gone on long enough. This is hardly a fair fight--"
"Fair?" Kobe-sensei repeated, setting her can of tea on the podium. "Did
you just complain to me about fairness, little hunter?"
"What's with the 'hunter' business?" Karu asked. "Are you trying to pun
my name or something?"
"Is it fair that all of the powers and responsibilities of the Enerobe Hunter
have been given to a mere child?" Kobe-sensei demanded, gripping the podium
and staring over her dark glasses and down her nose at him. "Tell me, is it fair
that a human boy who can't even dress himself is allowed to police all of the our
people?"
"Hey, I can so dress myself!" Karu protested. He stopped, blinked and
then suspiciously peered at the older woman. "What do you mean 'our' people,
Kobe-sensei?"
"I-- er--" Kobe-sensei wrung her hands. "Oopsie."
" 'Oospie'?" Karu repeated.
Kobe-sensei tugged at the high collar of her all-concealing lab coat. "I-- I
don't know what you're talking about."
Karu twisted in the tentacle grip. "Yes, you do. You said 'our people'.
Whose people?"
"Oh... phooey," Kobe-sensei cursed. "You tricked me into believing that
you were some oblivious little twit, Hunter. Now, I've gone and said something I
thought would take you months and several more obvious references to
understand." She pulled off her hat, her long bright violet hair spilled around her
shoulders. "It was bound to happen sooner or later," she continued, "Asako is no
idiot and that Cross boy is highly informed. I'd hoped to have a few months of
pretending to be comforting you after you discover that Kirameki-sensei has
disappeared." She fluffed her hair around the metallic bolts covering her ears and
proceeded to remove her dark glasses to reveal her iridescent green eyes. "Oh,
well," she sighed, "on the bright side, now I can introduce myself to the world at
the height of my glory-- when I crush their only hope for a defense against my bid
for world domination!" She burst into another fit of cackling.
Karu frowned. "Hey, you're not Kobe-sensei," he remarked. "What did
you do with her?"
She cackled. "Contrary," she replied, "I was once Kobe Erika, but now I
am so much more. I am," she paused, and then posed dramatically, "Eradesa!"
"That's a really stupid name," Karu remarked. "Couldn't you think of
anything better?"
"It's not a stupid name," Kobe-sensei/Eradesa told him, furious. "It's name
that demands awe and strikes fear into the heart of my enemies! Aren't you
awestruck and terrified?"
"No," he shook his head. "But I am a little woozy. Do you think you
could ask your Konstruct to set me down?"
Kobe-sensei/Eradesa frowned. "How did you know I was controlling the
Konstruct?"
"Because you told it to get me earlier and it listened?"
Kobe-sensei/Eradesa reached for her can of tea and took a delicate sip.
"Nakada-sensei," she said, sweetly, "kill the Hunter." The Konstruct
grinned again, as it raised its four limbs. "Let's see you dodge when you're
suspended in the air!" Kobe-sensei/Eradesa challenged.
*
"Kirameki-sensei!" Asako cried, throwing open the door to the last of the
rooms in the restricted corridor. She looked into the empty file storage area and
then stepped back into the hall.
"He's not in here," Raphael called, appearing from one of the other rooms.
"Did you girls have any luck?"
"No," Asako told him.
"That is a negative," Halo added, appearing from the third door.
Raphael ran his hands through his hair, causing it to become messier than
before. "Yosh," he muttered. "One last room to check girls, he _has_ to be in
there."
"Shouldn't he have heard us calling for him out here?" Asako asked as
Raphael approached the last door.
"Not necessarily," Raphael replied. "The observation room could have
sound reduction." He raised his hand to the switch panel. "Here goes."
The door slid open and Asako and Raphael stepped inside.
"Kirameki-kun!" Asako called.
"Kirameki-sensei!" Raphael called. "Shingo-san? It's Raphael--"
"There is no one here," Halo reported.
"You sure?" Raphael approached the chair turned away from them.
Spinning it, he frowned as it revealed nothing more than a small plush doll with a
message imager in its hands.
"Quite certain," Halo replied.
Raphael snatched the message imager from the doll. "At least this might
tell us what's going on." He pressed the start button.
The message imager projected the image of Kirameki-sensei before them.
He looked quite desperate, scanning from side to side. "I don't have much time,"
he began, "but something has gone horribly wrong. Please, take the project files
to my son Daisuke. Tell him that I'm sorry and I should have better prepared him
for this-- it's up to him now. Everything that we feared has happened."
Kirameki-sensei looked frantically about again. "Don't let Kobe Erika get her
hands on the Kira Kira System," his ghostly image pleaded with them. "If she
does-- then we've lost our only hope in defeating the Enerobes. Tell Daisuke not
to fear Karu. Tell him to believe in him--" the image dissolved into a crackled of
static.
Raphael and Halo exchanged a look.
"How are we to tell Kirameki-kun anything when we can't find him?"
Asako protested. She shot Raphael a glare. "Rafu-san, you said Kirameki-kun
would be with Kirameki-sensei. Obviously he wasn't."
"I think this image message just proves that's a good thing," Raphael told
her. "Obviously Daisuke got away from whoever-- or whatever-- was after his
father."
"We don't know that," she snapped. "We don't anything!"
"Perhaps, I could attempt to locate Daisuke Kirameki," Halo stepped
between the two of them. "Would that be our logical next move?"
"Great idea, Halo," Raphael agreed. "You find Daisuke, then we'll get to
him and find out what the hell is going on."
"Scanning," Halo replied, going quiet.
"This could take a few minutes," Raphael warned Asako, "so just try to
relax."
"Why do you think Kirameki-sensei was so worried about my mother
having the Kira Kira System?" she asked.
"Maybe he saw the demonstration before he was grabbed," Raphael
suggested. "I mean, if you saw someone let a psychotic killing machine lose on a
group of innocent school children, would you want them to have something like
the Kira Kira System? You heard your mother-- it can be used to turn human
beings into organic Konstructs hosts for Enerobes."
"Why would my mother want to do something like that?" Asako
demanded.
"I don't know, why don't you ask her?" he retorted. "While you're at it,
ask her why she tried to have us all killed, too."
"Raphael," Halo interrupted. "I have located Daisuke Kirameki's energy
signature within this building."
Raphael stopped glaring long enough at Asako to look back at Halo.
"That's great," he told her, then stopped. "It is great, right? Why do you have that
odd look on your face?"
"How is it different from the usual odd look she has?" Asako asked.
"Daisuke Kirameki's energy signature appears to be located in the
presentation room," Halo replied.
"That's impossible," Raphael told her. "You must have located the
Mimikku unit instead. Try again."
Halo nodded. "Scanning." A few seconds passed. "I am afraid not,
Raphael," she reported. "I detect four signatures in the presentation room. All of
them have some sort of non-human variation to them, but one the one I detect as
being Daisuke Kirameki's is separate from the faint signal of the Mimikku."
"That's impossible," Raphael repeated. "There was the Mimikku unit, that
short-circuiting Military 'struct, Kobe-sensei and..." he trailed off.
"And not Kirameki-kun," Asako finished.
"But someone else was there," Raphael tapped his chin. "What did the
message say? 'Tell Daisuke not to fear Karu' or something like that?" Halo
nodded. "Right, and why would Kirameki-sensei say something like that?"
"Because Karu is scary," Asako replied. "And weird."
"No no," Raphael shook his head. "Think for a moment Asako-chan, the
Kira Kira System--"
"Don't call me 'Asako-chan'!"
"--works by interfacing with a human brain," he continued. "What if Karu
is really Daisuke under the power of the Kira Kira System?"
Asako and Halo looked at Raphael for a moment and then both
simultaneously burst into laughter.
"No way!" Asako exclaimed. "Karu is taller and older and-- different
from Kirameki-kun."
"I must agree," Halo added. "We have discussed his purpose and nature
before, you know that someone like Daisuke Kirameki simply doesn't have what
it takes to be the Hunter."
"Then how do you explain Daisuke's energy signature being in the
presentation room?"
"Maybe Kirameki-kun went to the room hoping to find us," Asako
suggested.
"Then he's in great danger," Halo replied. "Perhaps if we armed ourselves
with a tactical plan, then we could launch a successful counter-attack against the
Renegade."
"And why wouldn't you detect Karu's energy signature?"
"Do you think that Karu guy could have gone to find Kirameki-sensei?"
Asako asked Halo, ignoring Raphael.
"It would be highly irresponsible of him to leave without subduing the
Renegade," Halo replied. "However, if it is indeed just an elaborately staged
demonstration, then perhaps Kobe-sensei has shut down the Konstruct."
"Of course," Asako nodded. "That's exactly what must have happened."
She picked up her school case. "Let's go find Kirameki-kun."
Halo nodded. Raphael waved the image messenger in the air. "Hello!" he
called. "Are you two listening to me?"
"Stop fooling around, Rafu-san," Asako told him, folding her arms.
"Daisuke Kirameki is not the Hunter," Halo added, copying the gesture.
Raphael gave them both a dirty look. "I think you've both got a serious
malfunction occurring in your logic processors." He pocketed the image
messenger. "Fine, we'll go find Daisuke. He probably knows where his father's
project files are."
*
Karu's blue energy rod was almost finished burning a hole through the
stomach of the Konstruct when his spec bracelet began to emit a low beeping.
"Uh oh," Karu muttered as the rod began to waver and dematerialize.
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