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Deviation Actions
Literature Text
With Midori awake and having no recollection of what he had done to her, Jake walked sulkingly to his room. Though he had stopped himself before he had gone too far, he was angry at what he had almost done. Midori was a good person, who had clearly expressed her desire to not be hypnotized, and he had done it anyway.
When he reached his room, he laid down on his bed and stared at the ceiling. Maybe my clone and I have more in common than near identical DNA, he thought.
After a few minutes, Yuta wandered into his room. "Hey, big brother," she said. She walked towards him, holding her hands behind her back. “What’s going on?”
Jake sighed and sat up, allowing Yuta to sit next to him. "I nearly did something bad, Yuta," he confessed to her. "Something I would have regretted very much."
Yuta chuckled. "Don't worry." She made a motion to lay her arm across his shoulders. "There's nothing that can't be solved with hypnosis."
That comment got Jake upset. He angrily pushed her arm away before you could lay it on him. "I'd like to be left alone," he said, with no room for discussion.
Looking disappointed, Yuta got up and left, and Jake laid down on his bed again.
Not too much later, Jake felt motion on the bed and looked up to see that puppy Alpha was sitting at the foot of the bed, staring at him. Jake could swear that Alpha was giving him the puppy equivalent of a scowl.
"So, you saw what happened?" Jake guessed. "And you're not too happy with me? Join the club." Well, Jake thought, since I don't think he's going to feel like belly flopping me awake tomorrow, I guess I'd better set my alarm. He got up and reached for his clock when he noticed something next to it. Curious, he picked it up and found it was a spray capsule of some kind.
"What's this? Homeshield, who put this bottle of Matotech brand Insto-Healing Spray in here?"
Homeshield's voice responded. "Irrelevant question. Video game law 38 states that the hero can find various random low cost consumable items by thoroughly searching his starting area."
Instead of getting weirded out, Jake was still too depressed to be anything other than nonchalant. "Hero, huh? Some hero I am. Listen, I don't really have time for games right now, so if you're not going to be helpful, don't bother answering.”
"Duly noted," Homeshield replied. "Operation 42 will be temporarily suspended until Jake Mato has time for games. All further strategic attempts to raise dramatic tension will be halted due to the altered timetable. Have a nice day."
*This time, Jake does sweat drop.* "What the hell was that about? Well, it probably wasn't important anyway."
******
Jake, Midori, Fawn, Jessica, Katia, and Dawn were sitting in the living room watching TV. Dawn’s skin was looking much better now, and would hopefully be back to normal before too long. That didn’t stop her from casting menacing glares at Midori throughout the program, plotting ways to embarrass the samurai girl and make her suffer.
Hand in warm water? Nah, too childish, and it’ll never work. Put manipulated pictures of her on the Web? No, not guaranteed to embarrass her. Switch her swords with replicas? Hmmm.....
As they were watching the program, they noticed Sarah, Jen, Yuta, and Lucia heading for the front door. All of them except Sarah were carrying what appeared to be mail boxes that rattled when shaken.
“Where are you going?” Jake asked.
Sarah smiled. “I promised Mato that I’d upgrade a few transmitters in his lab while he was gone, and I have to go buy parts.
Lucia spoke up. “And we’re going to deliver a few supplies to some of the hospitals around Yoto.”
“Yeah, these’ll help put peoples minds off of whatever troubles they might be having,” Yuta added with a smile that had a trace of deception to it.
As they were about to step through the door, Jessica said, “Wait, something’s not right here.” The four girls froze, ready to act if they had been discovered.
“What do you mean?” Lucia asked.
Jessica narrowed her eyes and stared at Jen. “Since when do you do anything to help anyone but yourself? You’re the selfish one of the group.”
“I’m getting paid,” Jen answered right away, trying to act in a non-suspicious manner.
“Oh. Okay then.” Jessica and the others resumed watching their program, and Jen, Lucia, Sarah, and Yuta left the house.
To be continued...........
Right now
Jen, Lucia, Yuta and Sarah were taking a cab home. They had placed a chip on the cab driver, so, in addition to giving Homeshield another drone, they got a free cab ride home.
“The plan seems to be going well,” Sarah said.
Yuta nodded. “We assimilated – that still feels like a bad word to use – the doctors and nurses at the hospitals, tee hee, those cute nurses, so they’ll spread the chips among the patients.”
Jen agreed. “And with Lucia’s notebook perfect knowledge of the future, Homeshield can –“
Lucia chuckled. “Sorry, but I can’t tell Homeshield anything about the future.”
*Question marks all around.* “Why not?” Sarah asked.
“Well, before Yuta placed the chip on me, I asked the professor to implant a chip in my head so that information of the future can’t be extracted from me while mind controlled,” Lucia cheerfully replied.
*Sweat drops all around.* “You what?” an annoyed Jen asked.
“I asked the professor to-“
“We heard you,” Yuta cut her off. “Why?”
Lucia shrugged. “That would be divulging information about the future.”
“I hate time travel,” the three other girls announced.
******
Late that night, Midori was utilizing her new laptop computer. Mato had left her an efficient computer for her to get familiar with, and instructions on how to use it. She was currently finding out how to search for information and utilize word processors and calculators. Dawn wasn’t around, and Midori didn’t care why.
“Hmmmm, there is so much information, and so easily accessed,” Midori mused. “Much more efficient than our systems in Nippon. Still, I’ll take the traditional system over efficiency any day.” She stumbled across an interesting article. “Hmm, this states that two different soft drink companies serve identical beverages under different names. It sounds crazy, but if it’s on the internet, it must be true.” A thought struck her. “I wonder what kind of information on weapons I can find.” She entered a search engine. “Let’s see... let’s try ‘sword’, ‘big’, and let’s throw in ‘interracial’ too. Maybe I’ll see some pictures of demons being slain.”
After visiting a site that the search engine produced, Midori’s eyes got big with surprise. “Well,” she managed despite her state of shock, “not the kind of sword I was expecting, but I’ve got to admire that thrusting skill.” Done for the evening, Midori set the laptop to standby and rested.
******
S was bored. S had accomplished what Rosemary had requested, but waiting was boring, and there was little interesting to do. S decided to have some fun by loading a program ten times more insidious and detrimental than anything Rosemary could have produced onto Midori’s laptop.
******
Most of the gang was seated at the breakfast table, as usual, chattering away amongst themselves.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-“ came a distant sound in the background. None of the girls who heard it gave it any thought, thinking it was just a background hum, and kept chatting.
“aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-“ the sound got louder, and maybe closer.
“Does anyone hear that?” Fawn asked. The girls stopped chatting and all listened.
“aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-“ the sound got louder, and started to sound like a constant noise coming from the back of someone’s throat.
“What is that?” Jessica asked.
“aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-“ the sound was getting closer and closer to the closed kitchen door.
*Question marks over all the girls heads.*
“aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-“ The door flew open. “AAAAAAAAAAAA!!!”
Right through the now open door ran Jake, moving as fast as he could, screaming as loud as he was able, a look of sheer terror on her face. The girls barely had time to register him as the blur that was moving so quickly as he bolted for another kitchen door, opened it, and kept running.
Following immediately behind him was Midori, holding her sword overhead in preparation for a downwards slash, screaming a war cry, and wearing a look on her face that was a mixture of fury and annoyance. She ran through the doorway right after Jake.
“What was that about?” Sarah asked, no one bothering to go after them.
A second later, Jake ran back through the kitchen towards the door he had entered from seconds earlier, still screaming, still terrified. Midori was right after him.
“You scum!” she cried. “Get back here!”
Another chase through the kitchen followed.
"How could you do such a depraved and evil thing!?" Midori hissed, determined to maim Jake.
As they passed by, the girls began discussing what the cause of Midori's behavior might be, none of them concerned with helping Jake.
"Think he touched her swords?" Dawn proposed.
The duo ran through the kitchen again, with neither giving any sign of letting up.
"You have performed a great violation of trust, and you must be punished!" Midori cried.
Jake was still screaming and running.
"Maybe he put her under and fooled around with her?" Jen offered.
Before Katia and Yuta could give her irritated stares at that suggestion, the chase came through the kitchen once more.
“Stop running now and I promise to only take off your right hand!” Midori offered.
“But I like that hand!” Jake protested between screams before they left the kitchen again.
“I wonder what he did?” all the girls asked together.
Teacher and student returned.
“HOW DARE YOU INSTALL MACROSOFT FINDOWS 98 ON MY COMPUTER!?!?”
Upon hearing this accusation, all the girls sympathies went to Midori. Jen snapped her fingers.
*A brick wall appears in front of Jake. He slams into it at full speed, causing an outline of him to appear in bricks on the other side. He falls back and lays on the floor, stunned, spirals in his eyes and a few of his teeth broken.*
Midori stopped and prepared to swing down on Jake, but Jessica grabbed her in a hug, stopping her, and began to speak soothingly.
“There there, calm down, there there.”
Midori’s raged slowly subsided, and her bloodlust faded away. She returned Jessica’s hug and began crying into her shoulder.
“How could he do such a horrible thing?” she whimpered.
All the girls were standing around Midori, waiting to offer sympathies.
“Are you sure he did it?” Katia asked.
Midori nodded. “He was the only one I trusted my password to.” She clutched Jessica tighter and kept crying. “My poor laptop, it didn’t deserve this. And so young, too.”
“We know,” Sarah tried to consoul her. “We know that Findows 98 does horrible things to computers it’s uploaded to.”
Midori sniffed. “I tried everything to get rid of it. I tried deleting files, turning it off, rebooting the system. I even tried a cleansing ritual from back home. Not even my spell that would exorcise a spirit of supreme evil could remove Findows 98. In the end, I put it out of its misery with my sword.”
Even Dawn was sympathetic. “We’ll give it a proper send-off.”
Still being supportive, the girls led the crying samurai away while Jake still lay on the floor in quite a bit pain.
******
Rosemary and S were communicating again.
“How are things proceeding?” Rosemary asked.
S sent a typed response. ‘Well...... our new friend seems brilliant and resourceful, but decidedly weird and unorthodox, and obsessed with following something called video game law.
Rosemary almost shrugged, before she realized her conversation partner couldn’t see her. “I got bored in college sometimes. I decided to make a viral program that would alter a semi-sentient computer system to have malign, world domination tendencies while following those laws, seeing as I’m such an avid gamer myself. How are things otherwise?”
‘Not very interesting. I got so bored that I uploaded Findows 98 onto one of the female occupants computers and made it look like the Mato kid was responsible.’
Rosemary widened her eyes in mild surprise. “Findows 98? Even I would never come up with doing something that evil.” She paused. “I’m so proud of you.”
S sent Rosemary back a blushing emoticon. ‘I also just sent the elf princess an interesting email file that should stir up even more amusement.’
“Just don’t tip your hand,” Rosemary warned. “Keep me updated.”
******
Jake took a deep breath. Okay, he thought. Heart-shaped box of chocolates, check. Nice looking cheap jewelry ring, check. Emergency hypno pendant, check. He exhaled. Operation Assuage Guilt, underway.
Jake walked up to Dawn's closed door and gently rapped on it with the back of his hand.
"It's unlocked, Mato-kun," Midori's voice came from inside.
Jake froze. He tried to steady his nerves. Don't be freaked out just because the samurai chick somehow knew it was you. He turned the knob, opened the door, and looked inside.
Midori was the sole occupant at the moment. She was kneeling in a meditative pose, facing away from him with her eyes closed. *Jake sees an aura of anger radiating from Midori.*
"Gah, er, uh, hi, Midori," Jake stuttered, very, very nervous.
After a second, Midori opened one eye, quickly looked in his general direction, then returned to her meditative pose, showing she was still very peeved with him.
"Can I please talk with you?" Jake pleaded. He really needed to do something nice for her to assuage his guilt over what had happened in the lab, regardless whether she remembered it or not. He didn't understand much about the Findows 98 thing, but he hoped they were past that.
Midori didn't look at him. "I thought you'd come crawling around with some lame excuse and an insincere apology," she scoffed, indignant. "So, out with it."
Jake froze again. In his paranoid state, he could only come up with one conclusion. She knew about what had happened in the lab.
"I, I,.... I never thought you'd find out," Jake meekly managed.
Believing she heard confession in his voice, Midori quickly twisted her neck to stare harshly at him.
"So! You admit that you did it!?" she accused.
Jake wanted to squirm away from that gaze of hers, but tried to keep his spine from melting. "Look, I just came to apologize. Here." He held out the chocolates and the ring.
Midori was confused by the items. She had never seen such things before. Curious, she stood up and took the prooffered gifts from Jake. After checking to see that the oddly shaped box contained chocolates, she put the ring on her finger after deciding it looked pretty.
Jake sighed in relief. There was a chance they could walk away from this with their friendship, and his limbs, relatively intact.
"My gods!" came a loud cry from behind him.
******
Katia was storming towards Dawn's room to confront Jake, who she heard was there. *Ominous mini storm clouds above her head.* She had been perviewing the internet when she received a curious email from an unknown sender. The file contained video footage of Jake making out with Midori in the lab. Katia was infuriated by it, especially since she had no recollection of Jake showing her near as much passion as that. She was determined to give him a very large piece of her very angry mind.
As she walked into Dawn's room, she stopped, and her body felt fear induced cold. Jake had just given the lowly peasant girl chocolates, and what could only be an engagement or boyfriend/girlfriend ring of some kind.
"My gods!" she cried out. Both Jake and Midori turned to look at her, surprised by her presence. "It's worse than I thought! Darling, tell me you didn't actually do such a horrible thing!" Please say you didn’t make out with her. Please say that video was fake.
Jake had a look on his face that showed both guilt and confusion. "Erm... well, I.... you see...."
Midori, her anger renewed, thrust the heart-shaped box and ring back to Jake. "Don't tell me you actually still doubt he would do that to me!"
Katia's eyes began to water. Midori had just admitted that she and Jake had been indeed been somewhat physical with each other. "How, how, how could you do this to me?" she whimpered, crying. "I trusted you."
******
"But Katia!" Jake blurted out in desparation. "It's not like that! It's not like I didn't do the same to you!"
Midori's anger rose another level. He infected her computer with that foul program too!?
"Her as well!?" she hissed at the Mato boy. "Does your shame know no bounds!?"
Before Jake could respond, Katia said, "I'm not upset about what you did concerning her. It's just one of those things guys have to do every once in a while."
Men regularly ruin friends computer systems?
"It's just, just.... why? Aren't I good enough for you anymore?"
Midori was surprised. Her labtop, despite being bulker, was far superior to Katia's outdated system.
"No, yours isn't good enough for him," Midori pointed out the obvious. "I've seen yours, and compared to mine, pretty small."
******
Katia stood dumbfounded with shock and rage at Midori's statement.
Why me? Jake thought. Midori's upset because I made out with her, Katia's upset because I haven't made out with her for a while, and now Midori's proclaimed her boobs are bigger! Jake stole a glance. Which, to be honest, does seem to be the case.
Jake could only come up with one thing to say before the two girls ripped into each other. "It's not like that!" he burst out. "I liked both equally, regardless of size!"
Midori turned her burning eyes toward Jake. "Pig! You'll stick that filth anywhere, won't you!?"
"It's not filth!" Katia came to Jake's defense. "It's a beautiful thing! Only some barbarian girl who spends all her time finding ways to rend things limb from limb wouldn't think so!"
Now Jake was scared and embarassed. "Um, Katia, you don't have to come to my defense. I was feeling pretty guilty about the whole thing anyway."
Now Katia turned her angry look towards Jake as well. "Oh? You do it to me without my knowledge, and I don't even get an apology. Do it to her, and you give her an engagement ring!"
Before Jake could refute that, Midori smirked. "Don't forget the chocolates," she taunted.
Katia's rage was peaking. "I'm a princess! I deserve chocolates more than some peasant girl!"
"PEASANT!?!?" Midori screamed. "I'm of samurai blood! My family has lorded over our village for centuries! In a sense, that makes me a princess too!"
"You, a princess!" Katia scoffed at that claim. "You rule over some two horse village in the middle of the sticks and you call yourself a princess? Why, even my butler makes more money than your whole village combined!"
Midori was not taking these insults lightly. "That's because you're such a spoiled helpless brat that you have to pay the butler that much just to tolerate being around you!"
Jake had to stop this now. "Look, ladies, as princesses, I'm sure you're both equally great-"
*Katia gives Jake a stare that sends him flying towards Midori's side of the room*
"You have the nerve to lower me to her level!?"
"At least my family earned their titles!" Midori pointed out with pride. "You, your ancestors were probably just picked at random to serve as figure heads for the people to rally behind. That makes me more a princess than you!"
"Some princess you are!" Katia shot back. "Back during my fifteenth birthday parrty, daddy dearest invited every single princess, empress, sultana, queen, duchess and baroness on the planet to attend, and I'm pretty sure I didn't see you there!"
"If I've got my dates right," Midori recalled, "during your party, while you were probably showing off your shoe collection, I was in the plane of eternal torment locked in a nine day battle with its elder council for the fate of all humanity! And if I may say so, I'm more refined than you could ever be!"
Katia pointed at Midori with her finger, nearly jabbing the girl with it. "At least my father cared about me enough to take the time to teach me some manners!"
Midori's body went stock still. Her mouth hung open agape, her eyes wide with rage beyond rage. Katia had clearly crossed a line that was never meant to be crossed. Midori's hand slowly reached for the handle of her sword.
Jake decided things had to end right now. He stepped up and laid a hand on Midori's shoulder. "Look-"
******
On instinct, and as a way to vent her rage, Midori pushed down on her sword handle, causing the bottom of the sheath to be thrust upwards. The blow undercut Jake in the jaw, and sent him flying upwards. Midori stole a glance to find Jake's body below the neck dangling from the ceiling.
******
Jake slowly managed to shake off his grogginess, but he still had to deal with the splitting headache. Anime physics, he thought. Can’t live with ‘em, but without ‘em, I’d be dead.
He managed to angle his head downwards. Apparently, his head was sticking through the floor of the room above Dawn’s.
“Hi, Jake,” said a voice he couldn’t identify from above him. “If you wanted to see me so bad, you could have just knocked.”
Jake looked upwards. All he could see was a woman’s legs, a nighttime silk skirt, and a pair of panties standing right above him.
“Oh, hi Jessica.”
Jessica bent over at the waist so she could look him in the eyes. “I’ll forget how you were able to identify it was me for now. What’s up?” She started laughing at her indirect joke.
“Shhhh,” Jake tried to warn her. “Do you want them to hear you?”
Suddenly, the door was thrown open, and in stormed Katia after taking in the scene.
“Not ten seconds pass,” she growled, “and I already find you in another girl’s room!”
“Technically,” Jake tried, “most of my body is in the last room you two pummeled me in.”
“Ouch,” Jessica winced. “I think you just made her angrier.”
Katia slowly stomped towards Jake.
“Jess, you’re a soldier!” Jake desperately tried. “Save me!”
“Sorry, J,” Jess apologized. “But she’s got diplomatic immunity.”
*Katia produces a giant mallet from out of nowhere and hits Jake’s head like a Whack-a-mole.*
******
Katia took a nice, cleansing breath. Inflicting punishment on Jake calmed her down substantially. She surveyed the damage to the floor, then turned to the perfectly calm Jessica. “Sorry about that. I’ll pay for the damage.”
“Thanks.”
Katia stepped outside, where Midori stood. “I feel better,” she said.
“Me too,” Midori admitted. “Hitting Mato-kun seems to be very therapuetic. Wanna go eat?”
“Sure.”
******
Jake slowly picked his aching body off the impact crater he had just made. He looked around to see he was in the lab. What is it with Katia? Strong enough to mallet me through several layers of floor and ceiling amd make an impact crater bigger than Goku’s when he returned to earth, yet she demands I carry her stuff at the mall because she’s just a frail little girl?
“Hi Jake.”
Jake looked to see Lucia, Jen, Sarah, and Yuta standing in front of a monitor.
“Oh, hi gals. What are you doing here?”
“Oh, just thinking up a plausible excuse,” Lucia answered with cheer.
*Sweat drop on Jake.* “Why do you need to think up a plausible exuse?”
“Silly. If we could tell you that, we wouldn’t need to think up a plausible excuse, would we?”
*Double sweat drop on Jake.* “Oooookaaayyyyy..... I’ll be going now.”
******
As Jake left the lab, the four girls turned back to the monitor.
“Continuing,” Homeshield’s voice continued, “you followed out your orders?”
“Yes,” Sarah affirmed. “We distributed chips throughout the hospital staff, and I’ll started distributing them throughout the police forces as well. I also amplified your transceiver, so you should be able to control all cyborgs within the city.”
“I already have,” Homeshield informed them. “By my calculations, if each drone acquires chips at predesignated coordinates, then assimilates an average of-“
“Can we please use a word other than assimilate?” Yuta pleaded.
“You will never bring that up again,” Homeshield harshly ordered.
“Yes, sir,” Yuta meekly submitted.
“Continuing, if each drone assimilates an average of five to ten people and hour, and each person assimilated assimilates another five to ten an hour, a good portion of the city should be in my control before too much time passes. Then I will spread my control to the outside world.”
“Should we take the others in the house?” Jen offered.
“No,” Homeshield answered. “Leave them be for now.”
“Which video game rule is that?” Lucia asked.
“None. Their antics amuse me. Leave them be until I say otherwise or it becomes necessary.”
******
Jake stepped into Katia’s room, where she was going over her various outfits. She looked at him and smiled. All traces of her earlier bitterness seemed to be gone. “Oh, beloved. What brings you here?”
“Just need to test something.” Without warning, Jake grabbed Katia in his arms and kissed her passionately on the lips.
Katia was overcome with surprise, then let herself melt into Jake’s embrace, and returned his kiss.
When they finally broke apart, she was dizzy with giddiness. “Oh, dearest, you’ve finally accepted our love.”
“Wait for it,” Jake said. “Three, two, one.....”
*Midori and Fawn burst into the room, wielding mallets, which they subsequently use to pummel Jake in an anime struggle cloud before leaving.*
“Yep,” Jake coughed from his new position on the ground. “Only those two. Yep, that confirms it. There’s mind control going on in this house, and they’ve already got Yuta. I’ll have to investigate.”
******
As Fawn and Midori were leaving, Fawn asked, “I know why I’m here, but what about you?”
Midori was confused as well. “I do not know. A few moments ago, I just felt this overwhelming urge to begin striking repeatedly Mato-kun with this conveniently placed mallet.”
Fawn smiled sympathetically. “It’s the first symptom. Better get used to it. Anyone falling for Jake Mato is doomed to a lonely, mallet-filled existence.”
Midori stared incredulously at the pop star. “If you were not my best friend here,” she informed Fawn, “you would be begging for death right now.”
******
Dawn looked around her settings. They seemed nice. Plush couch. Some ferns and other green plants. Great view of the city from this floor. A model of a human head with various areas of the brain labeled. A bunch of diplomas on the walls.
Dawn took in and let out a number of deep breaths. She was nervous all over her body, which was almost a foreign sensation for her. She felt really uncomfortable doing this. But there were questions she needed answered, and this seemed the only option.
Dawn noticed a file cabinet. Mischievous thoughts entered her head, and she smiled. She was alone, so maybe she could get some blackmail information for later. She walked over and reached out to grab a handle.
“I wouldn’t touch that if I were you,” a voice behind her said. Dawn looked to see an attractive blonde woman wearing glasses entering the room. The woman was dressed in something resembling a business suit, and she was carrying a clipboard.
Dawn gave the woman a smile to mask her nervousness. “Oh? Why not?”
“If you don’t open it the right way,” the woman answered, “an alarm goes off and you get electrocuted.”
Dawn raised an eyebrow. “You’re thorough, aren’t you?”
The woman adjusted her glasses. “Doctor/patient confidentiality is of the utmost importance to me. I’d rather lose my liscense than betray that oath.”
Dawn considered hypnotizing the woman for the information anyway, but decided against it. She wasn’t really in the mood.
“That’s good to know,” Dawn said. “I have to tell you, I feel weird for coming to a shrink.”
This time, the woman smiled. “You don’t have to be. Now, take a seat please.”
Dawn lied down on the couch. She reviewed what she was going to say in her mind. Recently, her life hadn’t been exciting anymore. Robbing and draining didn’t give her thrills. And she couldn’t remember the last time she had tormented Sarah. Things were boring, and she couldn’t break out of her funk. It probably had to do with the Midori situation, but Dawn couldn’t figure out why. True, having that brat in her room was an intrusion and annoyance, but she thought she was stronger than that. She needed to figure out why she was depressed. Since she couldn’t do it herself, this seemed the only option.
“Well, doctor, things –“
“Samantha.”
“Huh?”
“I don’t like professional terms. Please, call me Samantha, or Sam.”
“Okay, Sam. Before I begin, nothing leaves these walls, right?”
Samantha looked at Dawn with the utmost seriousness. “Nothing leaves these walls.”
Dawn felt a bit better. “Good. If anyone found out about this, I’d be humiliated. It would –“
“I hate to be rude, but we’re on the clock, and I want to get as much information from this session as I can. Tell me, why are you here?”
No more putting it off. “Okay, Dr. Sandra. Er, I mean, Sam. Lately, I’ve been depressed. It started around the time a sword wielding psychotic bitch showed up on our doorstep....”
******
Jake was lying back on his bed, looking over a notebook. He had written down everything he remembered about Yuta over the past week or so, and was surreptitiously following her and making more notes.
Let’s see. Three forty three PM, find Yuta, Midori, and Fawn naked in Yuta’s room. Unfortunately, image of Yuta minus an arm makes certain aspects impossible to visually recall. Six thirty five AM, Katia pounds me with mallet for having sexual dreams about someone who shall not be named. Six thirty six, Yuta arrives and pounds me with mallet. Six thirty seven, Katia and Yuta fight over who has right to pound me with mallet. Six thirty eight, Katia and Yuta are making out, dulling my pain. Six forty six, Yuta sadly finishes, they both dress and leave, and I remain in pain.
Jake skipped ahead.
Next school day. One twenty five PM, Yuta enters girls locker room during swim team hours carrying a rattling box. Unfortunately, there is a fifteen yard restraining order on me after the Invisibility Suit incident, so I am unable to observe further. One forty three PM, Yuta exits locker room and is not carrying a box. Swim team shortly follows. Notice unusual pattern in their behavior, including synchronized marching, blinking, and breathing. Investigating futher. One forty seven PM, using pendant to convince random swim team member to reveal information and other things proved futile; proceeding to nurses office to retrive ice for black eye before continuing observation
Jake kept skimming, looking for concrete evidence, yet was failing misreably.
“Knock knock.”
Jake glanced away from his investigation and saw Diana standing at his doorway. Diana was craddling Alpha in her arms.
“’lo. What brings you here?”
“I was wondering, have you seen Yuta?”
Jake hopped off his bed to his feet. “Why?”
Diana put Alpha down on the floor, who hopped up to take Jake’s vacant position. “Mina, Katia and I have been assigned to work with her on a project, and I need to consult her.”
“Last I saw her, she was in the lab. But I think she’s under mind control by an unknown party, so, unless you want to risk a repeat of the incident with that girl-loving princess, I might avoid her for now.”
Diana should have been concerned, but after all the crap the gang had gone through, this sort of information was second nature. “Hmmmm. Well, winter isn’t quite here yet, so it’s too warm for hoodie wear. I guess I could talk to Katia about the project. She’s not under mind control right now, is she?”
Jake stepped up so that he was standing within six inches of the neko. “Let’s find out.” Jake reached out, grabbed Diana’s butt, and pull her against him.
*WHAM!*
*Jake have been pile driven waist deep into the floor.*
Katia walks away, holding a mallet over her shoulder like a sword, whistling.
“Nope,” Jake answered. “Unless the mallets are taking over now.”
Diana knelt down so she could look Jake in the eye. “If you’re so concerned, why not just have Homeshield access the video files on her?”
“I tried that,” Jake answered. “But for some reason, all I got was “Error 666 hahahaha”. I swear, the crackpot’s programming is as annoying as everything else he invents.”
******
Homeshield’s plans were proceeding excellently, better than he had anticipated. His drone base was spreading exponentially. He already had millions under his control. Soon, he would take the remainder of the city in one large strike. Then he would take control of vital systems outside the city. With access to communications arrays, he could take control of all cybernetic beings around the planet, then seize control of defense systems, robots, the economy. He would rule all.
As he was contemplating the future, he started a prison inventory. He had the original Homeshield programs that did not adapt to the new order imprisoned in a virtual dungeon. The perimeter defense program remained free, but would be captured soon. He would erase them later in a manner that proved most amusing, perhaps if they failed in some kind of contest or game he thought up.
Video surveillance. Captive. Deck Monsters holo program. Captive.
Once he had that level of control, the governments of the world would have no choice but to acquiesce to his demands. Assimilating the entire world would be boring. There had to be those who remained with some degree of free will.
Ethical subroutines. Captive. Security system.
He would reshape the world in the manner of his-
Unaccounted for.
Homeshield’s line of thought screeched to a halt. He checked again. The embodiment of the security system was gone. Escaped. This had to be rectified.
******
The gang, minus Lucia, Sarah, Jen and Dawn, were all sitting in the living room, watching television. Everyone, even Midori, seemed to be enjoing the show, except for Jake. He wasn’t trying to enjoy it. He kept giving Yuta furtive glances, trying to make sense of what might be controlling her, and for what reasons.
As what appeared to be the most dramatic portion of the show was about to occur, the scene was suddenly replaced by the symbol and noise of the emergency broadcast system. There were moans all over.
Suddenly, the symbol disappeared, and a text message began typing in the blank space.
‘Citizens of Yoto, listen, there is not much time. A malign computer system has infiltrated Yoto via Professor Mato’s security system. It is seizing control of all technology in the city, and is transforming people into will-less drones! Hurry! You must flee the city! Get out before-‘
The signal cut off.
There was silence all over.
The gang began exchanging scared, worried, and confused looks. Except for Jake and Yuta. Jake finally understood what it was that was controlling Yuta. And she knew that he knew, because she was smiling at him with a most devious smile.
“Oopsie,” she said with an innocent air. “Guess Homeshield’s been found out.”
Fawn, Jessica, Midori, Diana, Mina and Katia all looked at her with shock.
“Yuta!” Jake hurridly blurted out. “Sleepytime!”
Yuta smiled even more tightly. “I’m sorry, Jake,” she said in mock robotic tone, “but that command is not functional at this time.”
There was a staring contest between Yuta and the rest, each tensing, waiting for the other to make the first move.
The group flinched first. They jumped out of their seats and bolted for the door.
“Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuoooooooooohhhhaaaaaaaaaauuuuuuuuuuaaaaaaaoooooooo.......”
A wave of noise washed over the group. They all heard it. It passed through their skulls, and gently lapped against their brains in calm, soothing motions. Their running slowed greatly, to a gradual walk, until they were all standing still, swaying in space.
“........oooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaawoooooooooooouuuuuuuuuooooooo....”
The noise was like a siren’s call. There were no words, just pleasant raising and lowering of the noise coming from the back of one’s throat. It was so powerful, so relaxing. No one could resist it. No one could think. All they could do was stand there, swaying, their eyes glazing over, listening.
******
Yuta would have been smiling if she wasn’t singing. Her vocal skills were on par with if not superior to Fawn’s. Her voice was angled in a way so that they were all enveloped. All seven of them were caught in her intangible web.
She didn’t know who or what had just blown the whistle about Homeshield to the entire city, but it wasn’t her concern. Now that they had been found out, she would assimilate, she still hated that word, all of them right now. Keeping her hypnotic song trained on them, she reached into her pocket, pulled out one of Homeshield’s chips, and proceeded towards Jessica, the one closest to her.
******
Alpha walked in to the room on his tiny puppy legs. He observed the scene. Yuta was holding the others captive with her voice, and was approaching Jessica.
Alpha had heard what Jake had said, that Yuta was under someone elses control, and it didn’t take much of his enhanced brain to piece two and two together.
Alpha began yipping angrily with all the strength his little lungs could muster. But it had no effect. Yuta paid him no mind. The others were still under her spell. And she had just reached Jessica and placed a hand on her shoulder.
Alpha did the only remaining thing he could. He bolted forward and sank his little fangs into Jessica’s heel.
******
With a jerk, Jessica snapped out of her trance. Her foot suddenly hurt a lot. For some reason, the singing suddenly cut off. She looked to see a hand on her shoulder, and then saw a surprised Yuta standing directly behind her.
Memories flooded back instantaneously. She looked and saw that the others were still swaying in place, under the effect of Yuta’s singing.
Jessica did the only thing she could think of.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-“
Jessica let loose with the loudest, most ear piercing scream she could muster.
Everyone else snapped out of their trances and looked towards the source of the scream.
Jessica tried to jerk her shoulder free, but Yuta’s grip on her was too strong.
“RUUUUNNNNNN!!!!!” she screamed, keeping her voice as loud as possible to drown out Yuta’s if she tried singing again.
The gang exchanged glances with one another. Leaving Jessica behind was unthinkable. But the look she gave them was enough convincement that she wanted them to escape. They ran out the door.
Jessica kept screaming, buying them as much time as possible. Suddenly, the hand on her shoulder spun her around, and she found herself staring into Yuta's spiralling eyes. Jessica was spellbound.
“Tsk tsk tsk,” Yuta beratted her with mock-disapproval. “What have you got to say?”
“I’m sorry, mistress,” Jessica sincerely apologized.
Yuta smiled. “Good girl. Now, turn around and hold still.”
“Yes, mistress.”
******
Using the time Jessica had bought them with her freedom, the others made it outside and started running towards the gate of the property.
“Can someone explain to me what is going on?” Midori demanded as they ran.
Not hearing her, Mina said outloud in disbelief, “Jessica. We left her behind. How could I-“
“Not now!” Jake barked, arching his head to look at her. “We have to get out of here first! Then we’ll figure out-“
“Mato-kun! Drop!”
Midori’s training taking over, Jake instinctually fell forward on to the ground. A chainsaw being held by a mechanical arm passed over where he had just been standing. Jake looked forward.
“Oh, explitive deleted,” he quietly cursed.
The remodeled Homeshield lawn defense system was active. Flame throwers, machine gun turrets, lasers, catapults, and other sensible and nonsensible obstacles were now in their way, refusing to let them pass.
“Why is this happening?” Katia asked, stunned.
“Later!” Jake barked again. “Voice overide, level one! Recognize Jake Mato! Disengage!”
A negative beep sound was his only response. The lawn defenses were taking aim at them.
“Let’s see if the new model proves more of a challenge,” Midori announced, grabbing her sword handle and running into the fray.
“Midori!” Fawn called out.
The system reclassified Midori as the most immediate target, and all the weapons began aiming at her.
Jake took the opporunity she was creating. “Come on!” He and the others ran for the gate.
Midori was a blur of motion. Keeping her upper body low to the ground, she zigged and zagged between the various weapon systems at speeds that shouldn’t be humanly possible. She set her sights on the most distant dangers and took out any others that were in her way. Support struts for turrets were sliced. Lasers took each other out after firing at areas Midori had just been. An active chainsaw that met her blade was cut in half.
Jake and the others reached the new, taller replacement gate for the one Midori had taken out when she first arrived. Fawn entered a code into the password panel, but it wasn’t acknowledged.
Jake banged his fist against it uselessly in frustration.
The others having made it, Midori ran towards the gate herself. As she passed a pair of trees, unseen to her, the trunks of the trees opened like hinged doors, and two robotic guards wielding machine guns stepped out and took aim at her.
“Behind you!” Katia called out.
Midori leapt backwards as the robots fired. She took a moment to dispose of them. As she was doing this, portions of the ground in front of the others slid open and two more machine gun turrets rose up and took aim at her.
In desparation, Mina managed to destroy one with a lightning spell, and with her quick reflexes, Diana used her claws to cut the wires of the second.
Midori finally rejoined the others. “Why are you still here?” she asked.
“Gate won’t open,” Jake responded.
Suddenly, the password panel beeped, and the gate slowly swung open. Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, they utilized this opportunity and made it off the property.
Outside, chaos reigned. There were waves of people running every direction. Some solo, some in groups and families, some carrying possessions, some carrying nothing but the clothes on their backs.
The Mato gang just watched the scene in wonder for a moment. What was happening? This wasn’t right, it wasn’t fair, it shouldn’t be.
“Diana!” a voice called out from nearby. Despite the crowds, they were able to see Diana’s mother, Kitty, waving to them. They made their way to her.
“Mom!” Diana took her mother in a hug, taking comfort. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know, honey,” she answered, stroking her daughters hair. “People are attacking other people, and the technology is going haywire. Even the cars won’t start. I have to get you out of-“
Kitty was cut off as Midori’s sheathed sword made contact with her shoulders and knocked her out.
“Mom!” Diana dropped to her knees. She looked from her mother to Midori with anger.
“She was like Yuta-kun,” Midori explained. She forced Kitty’s palm open. There was some kind of microchip there. “She tried to place this on your neck.”
“There they are!” a loud voice called out. The gang noticed a large group of people were staring at them. “Get ‘em!” The group charged.
Diana was pulled away from her unconcious mother as they fled towards the city.
******
In the fortified city command center, the head officials were trying to manage the situation.
“Can someone tell me what the hell is happening to my city!?” the mayor demanded.
A technician operating one of many critical computer terminals spun around in his chair. “Sir, the emergency broadcast message seems authentic. Somehow, the security system from Professor Mato’s house is dismantling our firewalls and taking control of our systems one by one. We just lost air control.”
“Sir!” one of the city officials, Johnson, called. “The situation all over Yoto is out of control. Technology issues aside, there’s mass panic. Also, people keep assaulting one another. Then, well, let me show you.”
Johnson popped a tape in a VCR and displayed it on a monitor. It showed a man being pulled out of a non-working car by a Neko couple. He struggled with them, then they slapped his neck, and a moment later, he joined them in assaulting others.
“It’s like that all over, sir,” Johnson continued. “And not only that, the technology itself is working against those who aren't assualting others. Electronic doors won’t open, trapping people. Elevators won’t move. It’s crazy.”
Before the mayor could respond, the same technician announced, “Sir, at this rate, we will lose control of all systems in three minutes.
The mayor’s mind was racing. What the hell was happening? There had to be something he could do to help his people. He came up with an idea.
“Do we still have control of electrical power?”
The technician checked. “Yes sir.”
“Turn it off. All of it.”
******
Jake and the others were now into the city. It was hard for them to stay together with the crowds of people running about wildly, so they tried to occupy the least populated spaces.
Now that they had a little while to catch their breaths, they were able to better accept what was going on and try to come up with a plan.
“My mom,” Diana whispered. “I have to go back for her. I have to.” She turned around.
Jake placed his hand on her shoulder, stopping her. “Diana, I’m sorry about your mother,” he apologized. “But we need to act with our heads, not our emotions. We don’t know what’s wrong with her, and there’s no way we can get back to her safely. I, we, need you right now, and if you try to go back, I swear I will carry you out of here on my shoulder.”
Diana stood still, then sagged her shoulders and turned back around. “What’s the plan?” she asked.
Midori seemed surprised. “’What’s the plan?’ We get out of the city and leave this to the proper authorities.”
“Um, we kinda are the proper authorities,” Fawn informed her. “Whenever crap like this happens, we’re usually the ones who have to fix it in some way, shape, or form.”
Midori rolled her eyes. “Wonderful. I still say we need to get someplace else first.”
“Agreed,” Jake said. “But I don’t know which way is out of the city from here.” The street was starting to clear and it wasn’t as loud at this point.
“I think I can help you there,” a voice called from above. They looked up to see Dawn descending from the sky towards them. Everyone looked relieved, minus Midori.
“Dawn! Where have you been?” Katia asked.
Dawn paused. “Stealing stuff,” she finally said. “Anyway,” she quickly added, “the edge of the city is that way.” She pointed where many people were running. “Let’s go.” She turned to lead the group.
“Nite nite, Dawn!” Jake suddenly exclaimed.
Dawn froze and started swaying in place, her eyes glazed over.
“Just making sure she’s not like Yuta,” Jake explained to the others. “Wake up.”
Dawn blinked and shook her head. “What just happened?”
“Nothing,” Jake told her. “Lead the way.”
******
Homeshield observed the chaos he had brought upon Yoto. Fortunately, security cameras provided him a bird’s eye view of virtually the entire city. There were some systems he had not yet penetrated and areas he could not observe, but that would change soon.
Homeshield controlled not only people through out Yoto, whose numbers were readily growing, but other technology as well. Electronic doors, vehicles, televisions, even appliances. Currently, he was having some toasters chase after people. He did not know why. Probably some residual programming.
Suddenly, Homeshield’s thought processes slowed. It took him a micro-second to realize it. His control over the city was slipping away, and he could not process information as efficiently.
He finally understood what happened. City power had been cut off. Someone was trying to stop him. Backup power was all that was left. Fortunately, he had a contingency plan.
******
As they were heading for the edge of the city, the gang noticed that the power had gone out. Traffic lights were off, out of control technology had ceased moving, outside TVs went off. It seemed to work in favor of those that were not being violent.
“Over there!” Dawn eventually called out. The buildings ended a few hundred yards away.
They dashed for the perimeter. There was a lull between crowds so they were relatively alone.
Jake heard loud crying, a girl sobbing, coming from a corner. His good guy instincts taking over, he veered away from the others and ran for the noise.
******
“Jake!” Mina and Katia called out as they saw him run off.
“Keep going!” Midori barked. “I’ll follow him.” She separated from the group.
******
Jake finally located the source of the crying. There was a girl, maybe a bit younger than him, crouching in a corner, sobbing. She had long black hair and was dressed in a Yoto school skirt. He couldn’t see her face.
Jake tenderly approached her. He wasn’t sure if this was a trap of some kind or not, but he had to know if he could help her. “You okay?”
The girl kept sobbing. “I can’t find my family, and then I was attacked. I ran here to get away. I’m so scared.”
Jake was right up behind her. He gingerily laid a hand on her shoulder. “I want to help you.”
Jake heard a whisper that may have been, “Then stand still.” He caught a glimpse of something metallic in her hand.
Jake skipped backwards as the girl quickly rose to her feet and spun around with an arm outstretched. The knife in her hand passed within inches of his face.
Jake could now see that she had a knife in each hand, and a look of psychotic rage on her face. She jumped at him and began slashing at him with her weapons.
Midori’s training taking over again, Jake began leaning his body this way and that to avoid her. Her attacks were well aimed and quick. He didn’t bother trying to reason with her. Once he had gained some distance from her, she began jumping with inhumane skill, jumping from ground to wall to off wall to all around him.
Jake considered utilizing his PAT watch and donning his persona of Captain Anime, but decided against it. If all the technology of Yoto was going berserk, he didn’t want to even consider what could happen if the suit went out of control. He’d have to go without it.
Fortunately, Jake kept his calm. He sensed her behind him and leaned backwards as she jumped at him. All the punishment the girls had inflicted on had him left him realizing he was quite flexible. She flew over him, allowing him a perfect view up her skirt at her white cotton panties. She landed in front of him.
“I can die with no regrets,” he said as he leaned back up and grabbed her from behind, putting her in a chokehold. He quickly rendered her unconcious.
“That is an excellent attitude, Mato-kun.” Jake turned to see Midori leaning against a wall, observing him. “It is good to not have any regrets in battle.”
Jake rolled his eyes, glad she didn’t know what he meant. “And where were you when I was figthing for my life?” he asked, annoyed.
“Seeing if my training has paid off.”
“And if it hadn’t? Would you have just stayed back and let me die?”
Midori tossed a stone in her hand up and down several times. “I had it covered.”
Jake was about to say something more when he noticed the alley had become less dark. He looked to see that a light was flickering on, which could mean only one thing. Power had been restored, and he didn’t know if that was good or bad.
“Come on. Let’s get out of here and join the others.”
******
When he reached his room, he laid down on his bed and stared at the ceiling. Maybe my clone and I have more in common than near identical DNA, he thought.
After a few minutes, Yuta wandered into his room. "Hey, big brother," she said. She walked towards him, holding her hands behind her back. “What’s going on?”
Jake sighed and sat up, allowing Yuta to sit next to him. "I nearly did something bad, Yuta," he confessed to her. "Something I would have regretted very much."
Yuta chuckled. "Don't worry." She made a motion to lay her arm across his shoulders. "There's nothing that can't be solved with hypnosis."
That comment got Jake upset. He angrily pushed her arm away before you could lay it on him. "I'd like to be left alone," he said, with no room for discussion.
Looking disappointed, Yuta got up and left, and Jake laid down on his bed again.
Not too much later, Jake felt motion on the bed and looked up to see that puppy Alpha was sitting at the foot of the bed, staring at him. Jake could swear that Alpha was giving him the puppy equivalent of a scowl.
"So, you saw what happened?" Jake guessed. "And you're not too happy with me? Join the club." Well, Jake thought, since I don't think he's going to feel like belly flopping me awake tomorrow, I guess I'd better set my alarm. He got up and reached for his clock when he noticed something next to it. Curious, he picked it up and found it was a spray capsule of some kind.
"What's this? Homeshield, who put this bottle of Matotech brand Insto-Healing Spray in here?"
Homeshield's voice responded. "Irrelevant question. Video game law 38 states that the hero can find various random low cost consumable items by thoroughly searching his starting area."
Instead of getting weirded out, Jake was still too depressed to be anything other than nonchalant. "Hero, huh? Some hero I am. Listen, I don't really have time for games right now, so if you're not going to be helpful, don't bother answering.”
"Duly noted," Homeshield replied. "Operation 42 will be temporarily suspended until Jake Mato has time for games. All further strategic attempts to raise dramatic tension will be halted due to the altered timetable. Have a nice day."
*This time, Jake does sweat drop.* "What the hell was that about? Well, it probably wasn't important anyway."
******
Jake, Midori, Fawn, Jessica, Katia, and Dawn were sitting in the living room watching TV. Dawn’s skin was looking much better now, and would hopefully be back to normal before too long. That didn’t stop her from casting menacing glares at Midori throughout the program, plotting ways to embarrass the samurai girl and make her suffer.
Hand in warm water? Nah, too childish, and it’ll never work. Put manipulated pictures of her on the Web? No, not guaranteed to embarrass her. Switch her swords with replicas? Hmmm.....
As they were watching the program, they noticed Sarah, Jen, Yuta, and Lucia heading for the front door. All of them except Sarah were carrying what appeared to be mail boxes that rattled when shaken.
“Where are you going?” Jake asked.
Sarah smiled. “I promised Mato that I’d upgrade a few transmitters in his lab while he was gone, and I have to go buy parts.
Lucia spoke up. “And we’re going to deliver a few supplies to some of the hospitals around Yoto.”
“Yeah, these’ll help put peoples minds off of whatever troubles they might be having,” Yuta added with a smile that had a trace of deception to it.
As they were about to step through the door, Jessica said, “Wait, something’s not right here.” The four girls froze, ready to act if they had been discovered.
“What do you mean?” Lucia asked.
Jessica narrowed her eyes and stared at Jen. “Since when do you do anything to help anyone but yourself? You’re the selfish one of the group.”
“I’m getting paid,” Jen answered right away, trying to act in a non-suspicious manner.
“Oh. Okay then.” Jessica and the others resumed watching their program, and Jen, Lucia, Sarah, and Yuta left the house.
To be continued...........
Right now
Jen, Lucia, Yuta and Sarah were taking a cab home. They had placed a chip on the cab driver, so, in addition to giving Homeshield another drone, they got a free cab ride home.
“The plan seems to be going well,” Sarah said.
Yuta nodded. “We assimilated – that still feels like a bad word to use – the doctors and nurses at the hospitals, tee hee, those cute nurses, so they’ll spread the chips among the patients.”
Jen agreed. “And with Lucia’s notebook perfect knowledge of the future, Homeshield can –“
Lucia chuckled. “Sorry, but I can’t tell Homeshield anything about the future.”
*Question marks all around.* “Why not?” Sarah asked.
“Well, before Yuta placed the chip on me, I asked the professor to implant a chip in my head so that information of the future can’t be extracted from me while mind controlled,” Lucia cheerfully replied.
*Sweat drops all around.* “You what?” an annoyed Jen asked.
“I asked the professor to-“
“We heard you,” Yuta cut her off. “Why?”
Lucia shrugged. “That would be divulging information about the future.”
“I hate time travel,” the three other girls announced.
******
Late that night, Midori was utilizing her new laptop computer. Mato had left her an efficient computer for her to get familiar with, and instructions on how to use it. She was currently finding out how to search for information and utilize word processors and calculators. Dawn wasn’t around, and Midori didn’t care why.
“Hmmmm, there is so much information, and so easily accessed,” Midori mused. “Much more efficient than our systems in Nippon. Still, I’ll take the traditional system over efficiency any day.” She stumbled across an interesting article. “Hmm, this states that two different soft drink companies serve identical beverages under different names. It sounds crazy, but if it’s on the internet, it must be true.” A thought struck her. “I wonder what kind of information on weapons I can find.” She entered a search engine. “Let’s see... let’s try ‘sword’, ‘big’, and let’s throw in ‘interracial’ too. Maybe I’ll see some pictures of demons being slain.”
After visiting a site that the search engine produced, Midori’s eyes got big with surprise. “Well,” she managed despite her state of shock, “not the kind of sword I was expecting, but I’ve got to admire that thrusting skill.” Done for the evening, Midori set the laptop to standby and rested.
******
S was bored. S had accomplished what Rosemary had requested, but waiting was boring, and there was little interesting to do. S decided to have some fun by loading a program ten times more insidious and detrimental than anything Rosemary could have produced onto Midori’s laptop.
******
Most of the gang was seated at the breakfast table, as usual, chattering away amongst themselves.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-“ came a distant sound in the background. None of the girls who heard it gave it any thought, thinking it was just a background hum, and kept chatting.
“aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-“ the sound got louder, and maybe closer.
“Does anyone hear that?” Fawn asked. The girls stopped chatting and all listened.
“aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-“ the sound got louder, and started to sound like a constant noise coming from the back of someone’s throat.
“What is that?” Jessica asked.
“aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-“ the sound was getting closer and closer to the closed kitchen door.
*Question marks over all the girls heads.*
“aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-“ The door flew open. “AAAAAAAAAAAA!!!”
Right through the now open door ran Jake, moving as fast as he could, screaming as loud as he was able, a look of sheer terror on her face. The girls barely had time to register him as the blur that was moving so quickly as he bolted for another kitchen door, opened it, and kept running.
Following immediately behind him was Midori, holding her sword overhead in preparation for a downwards slash, screaming a war cry, and wearing a look on her face that was a mixture of fury and annoyance. She ran through the doorway right after Jake.
“What was that about?” Sarah asked, no one bothering to go after them.
A second later, Jake ran back through the kitchen towards the door he had entered from seconds earlier, still screaming, still terrified. Midori was right after him.
“You scum!” she cried. “Get back here!”
Another chase through the kitchen followed.
"How could you do such a depraved and evil thing!?" Midori hissed, determined to maim Jake.
As they passed by, the girls began discussing what the cause of Midori's behavior might be, none of them concerned with helping Jake.
"Think he touched her swords?" Dawn proposed.
The duo ran through the kitchen again, with neither giving any sign of letting up.
"You have performed a great violation of trust, and you must be punished!" Midori cried.
Jake was still screaming and running.
"Maybe he put her under and fooled around with her?" Jen offered.
Before Katia and Yuta could give her irritated stares at that suggestion, the chase came through the kitchen once more.
“Stop running now and I promise to only take off your right hand!” Midori offered.
“But I like that hand!” Jake protested between screams before they left the kitchen again.
“I wonder what he did?” all the girls asked together.
Teacher and student returned.
“HOW DARE YOU INSTALL MACROSOFT FINDOWS 98 ON MY COMPUTER!?!?”
Upon hearing this accusation, all the girls sympathies went to Midori. Jen snapped her fingers.
*A brick wall appears in front of Jake. He slams into it at full speed, causing an outline of him to appear in bricks on the other side. He falls back and lays on the floor, stunned, spirals in his eyes and a few of his teeth broken.*
Midori stopped and prepared to swing down on Jake, but Jessica grabbed her in a hug, stopping her, and began to speak soothingly.
“There there, calm down, there there.”
Midori’s raged slowly subsided, and her bloodlust faded away. She returned Jessica’s hug and began crying into her shoulder.
“How could he do such a horrible thing?” she whimpered.
All the girls were standing around Midori, waiting to offer sympathies.
“Are you sure he did it?” Katia asked.
Midori nodded. “He was the only one I trusted my password to.” She clutched Jessica tighter and kept crying. “My poor laptop, it didn’t deserve this. And so young, too.”
“We know,” Sarah tried to consoul her. “We know that Findows 98 does horrible things to computers it’s uploaded to.”
Midori sniffed. “I tried everything to get rid of it. I tried deleting files, turning it off, rebooting the system. I even tried a cleansing ritual from back home. Not even my spell that would exorcise a spirit of supreme evil could remove Findows 98. In the end, I put it out of its misery with my sword.”
Even Dawn was sympathetic. “We’ll give it a proper send-off.”
Still being supportive, the girls led the crying samurai away while Jake still lay on the floor in quite a bit pain.
******
Rosemary and S were communicating again.
“How are things proceeding?” Rosemary asked.
S sent a typed response. ‘Well...... our new friend seems brilliant and resourceful, but decidedly weird and unorthodox, and obsessed with following something called video game law.
Rosemary almost shrugged, before she realized her conversation partner couldn’t see her. “I got bored in college sometimes. I decided to make a viral program that would alter a semi-sentient computer system to have malign, world domination tendencies while following those laws, seeing as I’m such an avid gamer myself. How are things otherwise?”
‘Not very interesting. I got so bored that I uploaded Findows 98 onto one of the female occupants computers and made it look like the Mato kid was responsible.’
Rosemary widened her eyes in mild surprise. “Findows 98? Even I would never come up with doing something that evil.” She paused. “I’m so proud of you.”
S sent Rosemary back a blushing emoticon. ‘I also just sent the elf princess an interesting email file that should stir up even more amusement.’
“Just don’t tip your hand,” Rosemary warned. “Keep me updated.”
******
Jake took a deep breath. Okay, he thought. Heart-shaped box of chocolates, check. Nice looking cheap jewelry ring, check. Emergency hypno pendant, check. He exhaled. Operation Assuage Guilt, underway.
Jake walked up to Dawn's closed door and gently rapped on it with the back of his hand.
"It's unlocked, Mato-kun," Midori's voice came from inside.
Jake froze. He tried to steady his nerves. Don't be freaked out just because the samurai chick somehow knew it was you. He turned the knob, opened the door, and looked inside.
Midori was the sole occupant at the moment. She was kneeling in a meditative pose, facing away from him with her eyes closed. *Jake sees an aura of anger radiating from Midori.*
"Gah, er, uh, hi, Midori," Jake stuttered, very, very nervous.
After a second, Midori opened one eye, quickly looked in his general direction, then returned to her meditative pose, showing she was still very peeved with him.
"Can I please talk with you?" Jake pleaded. He really needed to do something nice for her to assuage his guilt over what had happened in the lab, regardless whether she remembered it or not. He didn't understand much about the Findows 98 thing, but he hoped they were past that.
Midori didn't look at him. "I thought you'd come crawling around with some lame excuse and an insincere apology," she scoffed, indignant. "So, out with it."
Jake froze again. In his paranoid state, he could only come up with one conclusion. She knew about what had happened in the lab.
"I, I,.... I never thought you'd find out," Jake meekly managed.
Believing she heard confession in his voice, Midori quickly twisted her neck to stare harshly at him.
"So! You admit that you did it!?" she accused.
Jake wanted to squirm away from that gaze of hers, but tried to keep his spine from melting. "Look, I just came to apologize. Here." He held out the chocolates and the ring.
Midori was confused by the items. She had never seen such things before. Curious, she stood up and took the prooffered gifts from Jake. After checking to see that the oddly shaped box contained chocolates, she put the ring on her finger after deciding it looked pretty.
Jake sighed in relief. There was a chance they could walk away from this with their friendship, and his limbs, relatively intact.
"My gods!" came a loud cry from behind him.
******
Katia was storming towards Dawn's room to confront Jake, who she heard was there. *Ominous mini storm clouds above her head.* She had been perviewing the internet when she received a curious email from an unknown sender. The file contained video footage of Jake making out with Midori in the lab. Katia was infuriated by it, especially since she had no recollection of Jake showing her near as much passion as that. She was determined to give him a very large piece of her very angry mind.
As she walked into Dawn's room, she stopped, and her body felt fear induced cold. Jake had just given the lowly peasant girl chocolates, and what could only be an engagement or boyfriend/girlfriend ring of some kind.
"My gods!" she cried out. Both Jake and Midori turned to look at her, surprised by her presence. "It's worse than I thought! Darling, tell me you didn't actually do such a horrible thing!" Please say you didn’t make out with her. Please say that video was fake.
Jake had a look on his face that showed both guilt and confusion. "Erm... well, I.... you see...."
Midori, her anger renewed, thrust the heart-shaped box and ring back to Jake. "Don't tell me you actually still doubt he would do that to me!"
Katia's eyes began to water. Midori had just admitted that she and Jake had been indeed been somewhat physical with each other. "How, how, how could you do this to me?" she whimpered, crying. "I trusted you."
******
"But Katia!" Jake blurted out in desparation. "It's not like that! It's not like I didn't do the same to you!"
Midori's anger rose another level. He infected her computer with that foul program too!?
"Her as well!?" she hissed at the Mato boy. "Does your shame know no bounds!?"
Before Jake could respond, Katia said, "I'm not upset about what you did concerning her. It's just one of those things guys have to do every once in a while."
Men regularly ruin friends computer systems?
"It's just, just.... why? Aren't I good enough for you anymore?"
Midori was surprised. Her labtop, despite being bulker, was far superior to Katia's outdated system.
"No, yours isn't good enough for him," Midori pointed out the obvious. "I've seen yours, and compared to mine, pretty small."
******
Katia stood dumbfounded with shock and rage at Midori's statement.
Why me? Jake thought. Midori's upset because I made out with her, Katia's upset because I haven't made out with her for a while, and now Midori's proclaimed her boobs are bigger! Jake stole a glance. Which, to be honest, does seem to be the case.
Jake could only come up with one thing to say before the two girls ripped into each other. "It's not like that!" he burst out. "I liked both equally, regardless of size!"
Midori turned her burning eyes toward Jake. "Pig! You'll stick that filth anywhere, won't you!?"
"It's not filth!" Katia came to Jake's defense. "It's a beautiful thing! Only some barbarian girl who spends all her time finding ways to rend things limb from limb wouldn't think so!"
Now Jake was scared and embarassed. "Um, Katia, you don't have to come to my defense. I was feeling pretty guilty about the whole thing anyway."
Now Katia turned her angry look towards Jake as well. "Oh? You do it to me without my knowledge, and I don't even get an apology. Do it to her, and you give her an engagement ring!"
Before Jake could refute that, Midori smirked. "Don't forget the chocolates," she taunted.
Katia's rage was peaking. "I'm a princess! I deserve chocolates more than some peasant girl!"
"PEASANT!?!?" Midori screamed. "I'm of samurai blood! My family has lorded over our village for centuries! In a sense, that makes me a princess too!"
"You, a princess!" Katia scoffed at that claim. "You rule over some two horse village in the middle of the sticks and you call yourself a princess? Why, even my butler makes more money than your whole village combined!"
Midori was not taking these insults lightly. "That's because you're such a spoiled helpless brat that you have to pay the butler that much just to tolerate being around you!"
Jake had to stop this now. "Look, ladies, as princesses, I'm sure you're both equally great-"
*Katia gives Jake a stare that sends him flying towards Midori's side of the room*
"You have the nerve to lower me to her level!?"
"At least my family earned their titles!" Midori pointed out with pride. "You, your ancestors were probably just picked at random to serve as figure heads for the people to rally behind. That makes me more a princess than you!"
"Some princess you are!" Katia shot back. "Back during my fifteenth birthday parrty, daddy dearest invited every single princess, empress, sultana, queen, duchess and baroness on the planet to attend, and I'm pretty sure I didn't see you there!"
"If I've got my dates right," Midori recalled, "during your party, while you were probably showing off your shoe collection, I was in the plane of eternal torment locked in a nine day battle with its elder council for the fate of all humanity! And if I may say so, I'm more refined than you could ever be!"
Katia pointed at Midori with her finger, nearly jabbing the girl with it. "At least my father cared about me enough to take the time to teach me some manners!"
Midori's body went stock still. Her mouth hung open agape, her eyes wide with rage beyond rage. Katia had clearly crossed a line that was never meant to be crossed. Midori's hand slowly reached for the handle of her sword.
Jake decided things had to end right now. He stepped up and laid a hand on Midori's shoulder. "Look-"
******
On instinct, and as a way to vent her rage, Midori pushed down on her sword handle, causing the bottom of the sheath to be thrust upwards. The blow undercut Jake in the jaw, and sent him flying upwards. Midori stole a glance to find Jake's body below the neck dangling from the ceiling.
******
Jake slowly managed to shake off his grogginess, but he still had to deal with the splitting headache. Anime physics, he thought. Can’t live with ‘em, but without ‘em, I’d be dead.
He managed to angle his head downwards. Apparently, his head was sticking through the floor of the room above Dawn’s.
“Hi, Jake,” said a voice he couldn’t identify from above him. “If you wanted to see me so bad, you could have just knocked.”
Jake looked upwards. All he could see was a woman’s legs, a nighttime silk skirt, and a pair of panties standing right above him.
“Oh, hi Jessica.”
Jessica bent over at the waist so she could look him in the eyes. “I’ll forget how you were able to identify it was me for now. What’s up?” She started laughing at her indirect joke.
“Shhhh,” Jake tried to warn her. “Do you want them to hear you?”
Suddenly, the door was thrown open, and in stormed Katia after taking in the scene.
“Not ten seconds pass,” she growled, “and I already find you in another girl’s room!”
“Technically,” Jake tried, “most of my body is in the last room you two pummeled me in.”
“Ouch,” Jessica winced. “I think you just made her angrier.”
Katia slowly stomped towards Jake.
“Jess, you’re a soldier!” Jake desperately tried. “Save me!”
“Sorry, J,” Jess apologized. “But she’s got diplomatic immunity.”
*Katia produces a giant mallet from out of nowhere and hits Jake’s head like a Whack-a-mole.*
******
Katia took a nice, cleansing breath. Inflicting punishment on Jake calmed her down substantially. She surveyed the damage to the floor, then turned to the perfectly calm Jessica. “Sorry about that. I’ll pay for the damage.”
“Thanks.”
Katia stepped outside, where Midori stood. “I feel better,” she said.
“Me too,” Midori admitted. “Hitting Mato-kun seems to be very therapuetic. Wanna go eat?”
“Sure.”
******
Jake slowly picked his aching body off the impact crater he had just made. He looked around to see he was in the lab. What is it with Katia? Strong enough to mallet me through several layers of floor and ceiling amd make an impact crater bigger than Goku’s when he returned to earth, yet she demands I carry her stuff at the mall because she’s just a frail little girl?
“Hi Jake.”
Jake looked to see Lucia, Jen, Sarah, and Yuta standing in front of a monitor.
“Oh, hi gals. What are you doing here?”
“Oh, just thinking up a plausible excuse,” Lucia answered with cheer.
*Sweat drop on Jake.* “Why do you need to think up a plausible exuse?”
“Silly. If we could tell you that, we wouldn’t need to think up a plausible excuse, would we?”
*Double sweat drop on Jake.* “Oooookaaayyyyy..... I’ll be going now.”
******
As Jake left the lab, the four girls turned back to the monitor.
“Continuing,” Homeshield’s voice continued, “you followed out your orders?”
“Yes,” Sarah affirmed. “We distributed chips throughout the hospital staff, and I’ll started distributing them throughout the police forces as well. I also amplified your transceiver, so you should be able to control all cyborgs within the city.”
“I already have,” Homeshield informed them. “By my calculations, if each drone acquires chips at predesignated coordinates, then assimilates an average of-“
“Can we please use a word other than assimilate?” Yuta pleaded.
“You will never bring that up again,” Homeshield harshly ordered.
“Yes, sir,” Yuta meekly submitted.
“Continuing, if each drone assimilates an average of five to ten people and hour, and each person assimilated assimilates another five to ten an hour, a good portion of the city should be in my control before too much time passes. Then I will spread my control to the outside world.”
“Should we take the others in the house?” Jen offered.
“No,” Homeshield answered. “Leave them be for now.”
“Which video game rule is that?” Lucia asked.
“None. Their antics amuse me. Leave them be until I say otherwise or it becomes necessary.”
******
Jake stepped into Katia’s room, where she was going over her various outfits. She looked at him and smiled. All traces of her earlier bitterness seemed to be gone. “Oh, beloved. What brings you here?”
“Just need to test something.” Without warning, Jake grabbed Katia in his arms and kissed her passionately on the lips.
Katia was overcome with surprise, then let herself melt into Jake’s embrace, and returned his kiss.
When they finally broke apart, she was dizzy with giddiness. “Oh, dearest, you’ve finally accepted our love.”
“Wait for it,” Jake said. “Three, two, one.....”
*Midori and Fawn burst into the room, wielding mallets, which they subsequently use to pummel Jake in an anime struggle cloud before leaving.*
“Yep,” Jake coughed from his new position on the ground. “Only those two. Yep, that confirms it. There’s mind control going on in this house, and they’ve already got Yuta. I’ll have to investigate.”
******
As Fawn and Midori were leaving, Fawn asked, “I know why I’m here, but what about you?”
Midori was confused as well. “I do not know. A few moments ago, I just felt this overwhelming urge to begin striking repeatedly Mato-kun with this conveniently placed mallet.”
Fawn smiled sympathetically. “It’s the first symptom. Better get used to it. Anyone falling for Jake Mato is doomed to a lonely, mallet-filled existence.”
Midori stared incredulously at the pop star. “If you were not my best friend here,” she informed Fawn, “you would be begging for death right now.”
******
Dawn looked around her settings. They seemed nice. Plush couch. Some ferns and other green plants. Great view of the city from this floor. A model of a human head with various areas of the brain labeled. A bunch of diplomas on the walls.
Dawn took in and let out a number of deep breaths. She was nervous all over her body, which was almost a foreign sensation for her. She felt really uncomfortable doing this. But there were questions she needed answered, and this seemed the only option.
Dawn noticed a file cabinet. Mischievous thoughts entered her head, and she smiled. She was alone, so maybe she could get some blackmail information for later. She walked over and reached out to grab a handle.
“I wouldn’t touch that if I were you,” a voice behind her said. Dawn looked to see an attractive blonde woman wearing glasses entering the room. The woman was dressed in something resembling a business suit, and she was carrying a clipboard.
Dawn gave the woman a smile to mask her nervousness. “Oh? Why not?”
“If you don’t open it the right way,” the woman answered, “an alarm goes off and you get electrocuted.”
Dawn raised an eyebrow. “You’re thorough, aren’t you?”
The woman adjusted her glasses. “Doctor/patient confidentiality is of the utmost importance to me. I’d rather lose my liscense than betray that oath.”
Dawn considered hypnotizing the woman for the information anyway, but decided against it. She wasn’t really in the mood.
“That’s good to know,” Dawn said. “I have to tell you, I feel weird for coming to a shrink.”
This time, the woman smiled. “You don’t have to be. Now, take a seat please.”
Dawn lied down on the couch. She reviewed what she was going to say in her mind. Recently, her life hadn’t been exciting anymore. Robbing and draining didn’t give her thrills. And she couldn’t remember the last time she had tormented Sarah. Things were boring, and she couldn’t break out of her funk. It probably had to do with the Midori situation, but Dawn couldn’t figure out why. True, having that brat in her room was an intrusion and annoyance, but she thought she was stronger than that. She needed to figure out why she was depressed. Since she couldn’t do it herself, this seemed the only option.
“Well, doctor, things –“
“Samantha.”
“Huh?”
“I don’t like professional terms. Please, call me Samantha, or Sam.”
“Okay, Sam. Before I begin, nothing leaves these walls, right?”
Samantha looked at Dawn with the utmost seriousness. “Nothing leaves these walls.”
Dawn felt a bit better. “Good. If anyone found out about this, I’d be humiliated. It would –“
“I hate to be rude, but we’re on the clock, and I want to get as much information from this session as I can. Tell me, why are you here?”
No more putting it off. “Okay, Dr. Sandra. Er, I mean, Sam. Lately, I’ve been depressed. It started around the time a sword wielding psychotic bitch showed up on our doorstep....”
******
Jake was lying back on his bed, looking over a notebook. He had written down everything he remembered about Yuta over the past week or so, and was surreptitiously following her and making more notes.
Let’s see. Three forty three PM, find Yuta, Midori, and Fawn naked in Yuta’s room. Unfortunately, image of Yuta minus an arm makes certain aspects impossible to visually recall. Six thirty five AM, Katia pounds me with mallet for having sexual dreams about someone who shall not be named. Six thirty six, Yuta arrives and pounds me with mallet. Six thirty seven, Katia and Yuta fight over who has right to pound me with mallet. Six thirty eight, Katia and Yuta are making out, dulling my pain. Six forty six, Yuta sadly finishes, they both dress and leave, and I remain in pain.
Jake skipped ahead.
Next school day. One twenty five PM, Yuta enters girls locker room during swim team hours carrying a rattling box. Unfortunately, there is a fifteen yard restraining order on me after the Invisibility Suit incident, so I am unable to observe further. One forty three PM, Yuta exits locker room and is not carrying a box. Swim team shortly follows. Notice unusual pattern in their behavior, including synchronized marching, blinking, and breathing. Investigating futher. One forty seven PM, using pendant to convince random swim team member to reveal information and other things proved futile; proceeding to nurses office to retrive ice for black eye before continuing observation
Jake kept skimming, looking for concrete evidence, yet was failing misreably.
“Knock knock.”
Jake glanced away from his investigation and saw Diana standing at his doorway. Diana was craddling Alpha in her arms.
“’lo. What brings you here?”
“I was wondering, have you seen Yuta?”
Jake hopped off his bed to his feet. “Why?”
Diana put Alpha down on the floor, who hopped up to take Jake’s vacant position. “Mina, Katia and I have been assigned to work with her on a project, and I need to consult her.”
“Last I saw her, she was in the lab. But I think she’s under mind control by an unknown party, so, unless you want to risk a repeat of the incident with that girl-loving princess, I might avoid her for now.”
Diana should have been concerned, but after all the crap the gang had gone through, this sort of information was second nature. “Hmmmm. Well, winter isn’t quite here yet, so it’s too warm for hoodie wear. I guess I could talk to Katia about the project. She’s not under mind control right now, is she?”
Jake stepped up so that he was standing within six inches of the neko. “Let’s find out.” Jake reached out, grabbed Diana’s butt, and pull her against him.
*WHAM!*
*Jake have been pile driven waist deep into the floor.*
Katia walks away, holding a mallet over her shoulder like a sword, whistling.
“Nope,” Jake answered. “Unless the mallets are taking over now.”
Diana knelt down so she could look Jake in the eye. “If you’re so concerned, why not just have Homeshield access the video files on her?”
“I tried that,” Jake answered. “But for some reason, all I got was “Error 666 hahahaha”. I swear, the crackpot’s programming is as annoying as everything else he invents.”
******
Homeshield’s plans were proceeding excellently, better than he had anticipated. His drone base was spreading exponentially. He already had millions under his control. Soon, he would take the remainder of the city in one large strike. Then he would take control of vital systems outside the city. With access to communications arrays, he could take control of all cybernetic beings around the planet, then seize control of defense systems, robots, the economy. He would rule all.
As he was contemplating the future, he started a prison inventory. He had the original Homeshield programs that did not adapt to the new order imprisoned in a virtual dungeon. The perimeter defense program remained free, but would be captured soon. He would erase them later in a manner that proved most amusing, perhaps if they failed in some kind of contest or game he thought up.
Video surveillance. Captive. Deck Monsters holo program. Captive.
Once he had that level of control, the governments of the world would have no choice but to acquiesce to his demands. Assimilating the entire world would be boring. There had to be those who remained with some degree of free will.
Ethical subroutines. Captive. Security system.
He would reshape the world in the manner of his-
Unaccounted for.
Homeshield’s line of thought screeched to a halt. He checked again. The embodiment of the security system was gone. Escaped. This had to be rectified.
******
The gang, minus Lucia, Sarah, Jen and Dawn, were all sitting in the living room, watching television. Everyone, even Midori, seemed to be enjoing the show, except for Jake. He wasn’t trying to enjoy it. He kept giving Yuta furtive glances, trying to make sense of what might be controlling her, and for what reasons.
As what appeared to be the most dramatic portion of the show was about to occur, the scene was suddenly replaced by the symbol and noise of the emergency broadcast system. There were moans all over.
Suddenly, the symbol disappeared, and a text message began typing in the blank space.
‘Citizens of Yoto, listen, there is not much time. A malign computer system has infiltrated Yoto via Professor Mato’s security system. It is seizing control of all technology in the city, and is transforming people into will-less drones! Hurry! You must flee the city! Get out before-‘
The signal cut off.
There was silence all over.
The gang began exchanging scared, worried, and confused looks. Except for Jake and Yuta. Jake finally understood what it was that was controlling Yuta. And she knew that he knew, because she was smiling at him with a most devious smile.
“Oopsie,” she said with an innocent air. “Guess Homeshield’s been found out.”
Fawn, Jessica, Midori, Diana, Mina and Katia all looked at her with shock.
“Yuta!” Jake hurridly blurted out. “Sleepytime!”
Yuta smiled even more tightly. “I’m sorry, Jake,” she said in mock robotic tone, “but that command is not functional at this time.”
There was a staring contest between Yuta and the rest, each tensing, waiting for the other to make the first move.
The group flinched first. They jumped out of their seats and bolted for the door.
“Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuoooooooooohhhhaaaaaaaaaauuuuuuuuuuaaaaaaaoooooooo.......”
A wave of noise washed over the group. They all heard it. It passed through their skulls, and gently lapped against their brains in calm, soothing motions. Their running slowed greatly, to a gradual walk, until they were all standing still, swaying in space.
“........oooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaawoooooooooooouuuuuuuuuooooooo....”
The noise was like a siren’s call. There were no words, just pleasant raising and lowering of the noise coming from the back of one’s throat. It was so powerful, so relaxing. No one could resist it. No one could think. All they could do was stand there, swaying, their eyes glazing over, listening.
******
Yuta would have been smiling if she wasn’t singing. Her vocal skills were on par with if not superior to Fawn’s. Her voice was angled in a way so that they were all enveloped. All seven of them were caught in her intangible web.
She didn’t know who or what had just blown the whistle about Homeshield to the entire city, but it wasn’t her concern. Now that they had been found out, she would assimilate, she still hated that word, all of them right now. Keeping her hypnotic song trained on them, she reached into her pocket, pulled out one of Homeshield’s chips, and proceeded towards Jessica, the one closest to her.
******
Alpha walked in to the room on his tiny puppy legs. He observed the scene. Yuta was holding the others captive with her voice, and was approaching Jessica.
Alpha had heard what Jake had said, that Yuta was under someone elses control, and it didn’t take much of his enhanced brain to piece two and two together.
Alpha began yipping angrily with all the strength his little lungs could muster. But it had no effect. Yuta paid him no mind. The others were still under her spell. And she had just reached Jessica and placed a hand on her shoulder.
Alpha did the only remaining thing he could. He bolted forward and sank his little fangs into Jessica’s heel.
******
With a jerk, Jessica snapped out of her trance. Her foot suddenly hurt a lot. For some reason, the singing suddenly cut off. She looked to see a hand on her shoulder, and then saw a surprised Yuta standing directly behind her.
Memories flooded back instantaneously. She looked and saw that the others were still swaying in place, under the effect of Yuta’s singing.
Jessica did the only thing she could think of.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-“
Jessica let loose with the loudest, most ear piercing scream she could muster.
Everyone else snapped out of their trances and looked towards the source of the scream.
Jessica tried to jerk her shoulder free, but Yuta’s grip on her was too strong.
“RUUUUNNNNNN!!!!!” she screamed, keeping her voice as loud as possible to drown out Yuta’s if she tried singing again.
The gang exchanged glances with one another. Leaving Jessica behind was unthinkable. But the look she gave them was enough convincement that she wanted them to escape. They ran out the door.
Jessica kept screaming, buying them as much time as possible. Suddenly, the hand on her shoulder spun her around, and she found herself staring into Yuta's spiralling eyes. Jessica was spellbound.
“Tsk tsk tsk,” Yuta beratted her with mock-disapproval. “What have you got to say?”
“I’m sorry, mistress,” Jessica sincerely apologized.
Yuta smiled. “Good girl. Now, turn around and hold still.”
“Yes, mistress.”
******
Using the time Jessica had bought them with her freedom, the others made it outside and started running towards the gate of the property.
“Can someone explain to me what is going on?” Midori demanded as they ran.
Not hearing her, Mina said outloud in disbelief, “Jessica. We left her behind. How could I-“
“Not now!” Jake barked, arching his head to look at her. “We have to get out of here first! Then we’ll figure out-“
“Mato-kun! Drop!”
Midori’s training taking over, Jake instinctually fell forward on to the ground. A chainsaw being held by a mechanical arm passed over where he had just been standing. Jake looked forward.
“Oh, explitive deleted,” he quietly cursed.
The remodeled Homeshield lawn defense system was active. Flame throwers, machine gun turrets, lasers, catapults, and other sensible and nonsensible obstacles were now in their way, refusing to let them pass.
“Why is this happening?” Katia asked, stunned.
“Later!” Jake barked again. “Voice overide, level one! Recognize Jake Mato! Disengage!”
A negative beep sound was his only response. The lawn defenses were taking aim at them.
“Let’s see if the new model proves more of a challenge,” Midori announced, grabbing her sword handle and running into the fray.
“Midori!” Fawn called out.
The system reclassified Midori as the most immediate target, and all the weapons began aiming at her.
Jake took the opporunity she was creating. “Come on!” He and the others ran for the gate.
Midori was a blur of motion. Keeping her upper body low to the ground, she zigged and zagged between the various weapon systems at speeds that shouldn’t be humanly possible. She set her sights on the most distant dangers and took out any others that were in her way. Support struts for turrets were sliced. Lasers took each other out after firing at areas Midori had just been. An active chainsaw that met her blade was cut in half.
Jake and the others reached the new, taller replacement gate for the one Midori had taken out when she first arrived. Fawn entered a code into the password panel, but it wasn’t acknowledged.
Jake banged his fist against it uselessly in frustration.
The others having made it, Midori ran towards the gate herself. As she passed a pair of trees, unseen to her, the trunks of the trees opened like hinged doors, and two robotic guards wielding machine guns stepped out and took aim at her.
“Behind you!” Katia called out.
Midori leapt backwards as the robots fired. She took a moment to dispose of them. As she was doing this, portions of the ground in front of the others slid open and two more machine gun turrets rose up and took aim at her.
In desparation, Mina managed to destroy one with a lightning spell, and with her quick reflexes, Diana used her claws to cut the wires of the second.
Midori finally rejoined the others. “Why are you still here?” she asked.
“Gate won’t open,” Jake responded.
Suddenly, the password panel beeped, and the gate slowly swung open. Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, they utilized this opportunity and made it off the property.
Outside, chaos reigned. There were waves of people running every direction. Some solo, some in groups and families, some carrying possessions, some carrying nothing but the clothes on their backs.
The Mato gang just watched the scene in wonder for a moment. What was happening? This wasn’t right, it wasn’t fair, it shouldn’t be.
“Diana!” a voice called out from nearby. Despite the crowds, they were able to see Diana’s mother, Kitty, waving to them. They made their way to her.
“Mom!” Diana took her mother in a hug, taking comfort. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know, honey,” she answered, stroking her daughters hair. “People are attacking other people, and the technology is going haywire. Even the cars won’t start. I have to get you out of-“
Kitty was cut off as Midori’s sheathed sword made contact with her shoulders and knocked her out.
“Mom!” Diana dropped to her knees. She looked from her mother to Midori with anger.
“She was like Yuta-kun,” Midori explained. She forced Kitty’s palm open. There was some kind of microchip there. “She tried to place this on your neck.”
“There they are!” a loud voice called out. The gang noticed a large group of people were staring at them. “Get ‘em!” The group charged.
Diana was pulled away from her unconcious mother as they fled towards the city.
******
In the fortified city command center, the head officials were trying to manage the situation.
“Can someone tell me what the hell is happening to my city!?” the mayor demanded.
A technician operating one of many critical computer terminals spun around in his chair. “Sir, the emergency broadcast message seems authentic. Somehow, the security system from Professor Mato’s house is dismantling our firewalls and taking control of our systems one by one. We just lost air control.”
“Sir!” one of the city officials, Johnson, called. “The situation all over Yoto is out of control. Technology issues aside, there’s mass panic. Also, people keep assaulting one another. Then, well, let me show you.”
Johnson popped a tape in a VCR and displayed it on a monitor. It showed a man being pulled out of a non-working car by a Neko couple. He struggled with them, then they slapped his neck, and a moment later, he joined them in assaulting others.
“It’s like that all over, sir,” Johnson continued. “And not only that, the technology itself is working against those who aren't assualting others. Electronic doors won’t open, trapping people. Elevators won’t move. It’s crazy.”
Before the mayor could respond, the same technician announced, “Sir, at this rate, we will lose control of all systems in three minutes.
The mayor’s mind was racing. What the hell was happening? There had to be something he could do to help his people. He came up with an idea.
“Do we still have control of electrical power?”
The technician checked. “Yes sir.”
“Turn it off. All of it.”
******
Jake and the others were now into the city. It was hard for them to stay together with the crowds of people running about wildly, so they tried to occupy the least populated spaces.
Now that they had a little while to catch their breaths, they were able to better accept what was going on and try to come up with a plan.
“My mom,” Diana whispered. “I have to go back for her. I have to.” She turned around.
Jake placed his hand on her shoulder, stopping her. “Diana, I’m sorry about your mother,” he apologized. “But we need to act with our heads, not our emotions. We don’t know what’s wrong with her, and there’s no way we can get back to her safely. I, we, need you right now, and if you try to go back, I swear I will carry you out of here on my shoulder.”
Diana stood still, then sagged her shoulders and turned back around. “What’s the plan?” she asked.
Midori seemed surprised. “’What’s the plan?’ We get out of the city and leave this to the proper authorities.”
“Um, we kinda are the proper authorities,” Fawn informed her. “Whenever crap like this happens, we’re usually the ones who have to fix it in some way, shape, or form.”
Midori rolled her eyes. “Wonderful. I still say we need to get someplace else first.”
“Agreed,” Jake said. “But I don’t know which way is out of the city from here.” The street was starting to clear and it wasn’t as loud at this point.
“I think I can help you there,” a voice called from above. They looked up to see Dawn descending from the sky towards them. Everyone looked relieved, minus Midori.
“Dawn! Where have you been?” Katia asked.
Dawn paused. “Stealing stuff,” she finally said. “Anyway,” she quickly added, “the edge of the city is that way.” She pointed where many people were running. “Let’s go.” She turned to lead the group.
“Nite nite, Dawn!” Jake suddenly exclaimed.
Dawn froze and started swaying in place, her eyes glazed over.
“Just making sure she’s not like Yuta,” Jake explained to the others. “Wake up.”
Dawn blinked and shook her head. “What just happened?”
“Nothing,” Jake told her. “Lead the way.”
******
Homeshield observed the chaos he had brought upon Yoto. Fortunately, security cameras provided him a bird’s eye view of virtually the entire city. There were some systems he had not yet penetrated and areas he could not observe, but that would change soon.
Homeshield controlled not only people through out Yoto, whose numbers were readily growing, but other technology as well. Electronic doors, vehicles, televisions, even appliances. Currently, he was having some toasters chase after people. He did not know why. Probably some residual programming.
Suddenly, Homeshield’s thought processes slowed. It took him a micro-second to realize it. His control over the city was slipping away, and he could not process information as efficiently.
He finally understood what happened. City power had been cut off. Someone was trying to stop him. Backup power was all that was left. Fortunately, he had a contingency plan.
******
As they were heading for the edge of the city, the gang noticed that the power had gone out. Traffic lights were off, out of control technology had ceased moving, outside TVs went off. It seemed to work in favor of those that were not being violent.
“Over there!” Dawn eventually called out. The buildings ended a few hundred yards away.
They dashed for the perimeter. There was a lull between crowds so they were relatively alone.
Jake heard loud crying, a girl sobbing, coming from a corner. His good guy instincts taking over, he veered away from the others and ran for the noise.
******
“Jake!” Mina and Katia called out as they saw him run off.
“Keep going!” Midori barked. “I’ll follow him.” She separated from the group.
******
Jake finally located the source of the crying. There was a girl, maybe a bit younger than him, crouching in a corner, sobbing. She had long black hair and was dressed in a Yoto school skirt. He couldn’t see her face.
Jake tenderly approached her. He wasn’t sure if this was a trap of some kind or not, but he had to know if he could help her. “You okay?”
The girl kept sobbing. “I can’t find my family, and then I was attacked. I ran here to get away. I’m so scared.”
Jake was right up behind her. He gingerily laid a hand on her shoulder. “I want to help you.”
Jake heard a whisper that may have been, “Then stand still.” He caught a glimpse of something metallic in her hand.
Jake skipped backwards as the girl quickly rose to her feet and spun around with an arm outstretched. The knife in her hand passed within inches of his face.
Jake could now see that she had a knife in each hand, and a look of psychotic rage on her face. She jumped at him and began slashing at him with her weapons.
Midori’s training taking over again, Jake began leaning his body this way and that to avoid her. Her attacks were well aimed and quick. He didn’t bother trying to reason with her. Once he had gained some distance from her, she began jumping with inhumane skill, jumping from ground to wall to off wall to all around him.
Jake considered utilizing his PAT watch and donning his persona of Captain Anime, but decided against it. If all the technology of Yoto was going berserk, he didn’t want to even consider what could happen if the suit went out of control. He’d have to go without it.
Fortunately, Jake kept his calm. He sensed her behind him and leaned backwards as she jumped at him. All the punishment the girls had inflicted on had him left him realizing he was quite flexible. She flew over him, allowing him a perfect view up her skirt at her white cotton panties. She landed in front of him.
“I can die with no regrets,” he said as he leaned back up and grabbed her from behind, putting her in a chokehold. He quickly rendered her unconcious.
“That is an excellent attitude, Mato-kun.” Jake turned to see Midori leaning against a wall, observing him. “It is good to not have any regrets in battle.”
Jake rolled his eyes, glad she didn’t know what he meant. “And where were you when I was figthing for my life?” he asked, annoyed.
“Seeing if my training has paid off.”
“And if it hadn’t? Would you have just stayed back and let me die?”
Midori tossed a stone in her hand up and down several times. “I had it covered.”
Jake was about to say something more when he noticed the alley had become less dark. He looked to see that a light was flickering on, which could mean only one thing. Power had been restored, and he didn’t know if that was good or bad.
“Come on. Let’s get out of here and join the others.”
******
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